The Tacticians' Wish
by BMKuro
Summary: Rekka No Ken, tacticians' story. I finally updated this one...whew...A final confrontation with Darin, and Nergal must be stopped from opening the Dragon's Gate!
1. Hiro prologue:the devil's child

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.

This is my first fic...so... yeah...

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PROLOGUE: The Devil's Child**

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Location:The continent of Chija. Castle Nagasaki courtyard**

A young boy, about five years of age with spiky jet black hair and dark crimson eyes is sitting under a tree with a girl about the same age. Her long black hair gently flows along with the wind and her sapphire eyes sparkle with joy, yet had a trace of sorrow in them. The boy had the mark tears streaming down his face; obviously he was crying a short while ago, and the girl consoled him. He clutched a "Fimbulvetr" tome tightly to his chest, and smiled at the girl. The girl smiled back, and kissed him. Then she walked away. "I'll miss you," she said. After she was gone, he left, never to return to this place.

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A few moments ago:**

"**YOU DEMON!" "FREAK OF NATURE!**"

"**HANG HIM!**" "**WHO WANTS TO HANG OUT WITH YOU!**"

" (whisper) look at his eyes..." "...the devil's child"

People and other children said and yelled at him as he walked through the market towards the Daisuke magic school for prodigies. Though boy didn't pay any attention to this, some of the insults still stung him. He was used to this torture since the beginning of the school year, but still...

'I'll make it through, just one more day and it's all over...' The boy tightly clutched his beloved Fimbulvetr tome, his 5th birthday gift, from his tutor Doctor De Jesua, an old priest from a foreign land who died a few weeks ago. His parents, his nanny, and the good doctor were the only friends he had because of his red eyes. Red eyes in the continent of Chija were believed to be signs of terrible luck; a bad omen, or even that the child is a demon with untapped powers. Unfortunately for our boy, the people that go to his school or live nearby all think the latter because of his great skill with magic, and therefore shunned him out of society. Life was horrible for him, until the day he met her.

The memory goes through his mind; this only happened 2 months ago. He was walking through the market, crying after a few bullies just stole his lunch money. He didn't live with a very wealthy family; in fact, his parents had trouble paying for his tuition at the magic school. With his already meager lunch money taken away from him by force, he cried because he'd not eat lunch again for the 10th day in a row. Then he walked into another bully's posse. When they found out someone else already took his money, the leader punched him and took the boy's Fimbulvetr tome away. "GIVE IT BACK!" the boy cried. This, of course, only fueled the bullies' fervor of harassing him, and they played Piggy in the Middle with it. "STOP IT!" he cried, and of course, to no avail. He slumped down in defeat.

Then, in midair, a big hand caught the tomb. The bullies looked to see its owner, and saw Lord Kyoshiro of Castle Nagasaki, clad in his usual blue and green plated armor and blue cape, with a Silver Katana on his waist. "That's not very nice kids. Leave him alone alright?" The bullies left the young boy. "Hey, you alright kid?"

The boy nodded slowly; his neck hurt a lot after getting punched there by the first group of bullies. He said in his very quiet and timid voice, "...thank you, milord..."

"Don't mention it. Hey, you're Sasuke's son, right? I've heard about you, and man, I feel sorry for you. If I can help you in any way, I'll do my best to do so." The boy's face lit up, and his red eyes, now dried from his tears, sparkled with joy.

"Really?"

"Of course. Come on, get up. Hmm... I've seen you around before, but when I do, I always see you alone. You got any friends?"

The boy shook his head slowly, his neck still hurting.

"NO?...oh...right..." Kyoshiro grins sheepishly. "Well, why don't you come over to the castle after school today? I'll let you meet my sister. She's really shy, like you so she doesn't have many friends her age."

Again the boy said "Really?"

"(laughs) You don't seem to have a big vocabulary either. Of course (how many times have I said this during this conversation?). I'll see you later, alright? Oh, and when you talk to the gatekeeper, show him this." Kyoshiro gives him a small gold necklace with a ruby pendant. "See ya!" And with that, the boy walked towards the magic school.

After school ended, the boy zoomed right out of the classroom, surprising his teacher since he was always the last to leave, always looking down and dreading the walk home through the market. He ran through the market, and ran through the West Passage and straight to the castle. In his rush of adrenaline, he failed to see the big knight in front of him when he was looking up, awestruck at the awsomeness (is that even a word?) of the castle in front of him. BAM! CRASH!

"Owww..."

"(laughs in a booming voice) Haha! You should watch where you're going! You must be Mr. Sasuke's son! Come in, Lord Kyo already informed me about your visiting us. Welcome to Castle Nagasaki, I'm Eiji the gatekeeper!"

"...hello sir..." squeaked the boy, scared by the gatekeeper's loud voice and Steel Lance.

"The princess is in the courtyard right now. She looked really anxious to meet you."

"...thank you sir..." and he ran into the courtyard...

The courtyard was a lovely place, filled with many exotic plants and animals of foreign lands. The master of the castle, Master Yamato, is a collector of these things and loves nothing more than to spend time in his courtyard admiring his collection with his friends...that is, other than alcohol.

Anyways, there was a big old tree in the middle, called the "Lifestream tree." It's called that because the only river that gives water to the town is right beside the big tree. So the boy walked towards it when he saw a slight movement of something that seemed unnatural in a garden: a lock of black hair.

When he reached its location, he saw, sitting on one of the giant tree's roots, the most beautiful view he ever saw. She was sitting there, one leg on top of the other, crossed, with long black hair, and sparkling blue eyes which were filled with loneliness, but also full of curiosity of the figure that stood before her. She's a noble, and therefore, wore expensive noble clothing the boy's mother could only dream of getting unless she won the lottery. She wore a pink ribbon, which looked like it was made of silk, on the back of her head. She wore a small pink skirt and long blue red stockings. Her pink shirt had those shoulder fluff things that made her look really cute.

The boy, on the other hand, wore a simple shirt and pants, and an old black cloak. Yet the girl stared mesmerized at him as he did with her. This was the thought on both children's heads 'I think I'm dreaming...is that an angel I see before me?' and they both walked closer. When they snapped back to reality, both blushed, realizing that he/she was staring at the other. Then, awkward silence. Finally, the girl stood up and held out her hand.

"...hi," she squeaked in a small, quiet voice, yet it's a voice that had the sound of a song only the choir can sing at the church, and this choir is one of the best on the continent. "...I'm princess Mitsuna Yamato...what's your name?"

"...um...um...it's Hiro Sasuke..." He then put up his hand to shake hers, and they shook. Hiro thought, 'Wow, it's smooth as silk, it doesn't have any roughness on it! I really am meeting an angel.'

Mitsuna thought, 'Lord brother was right...poor boy, I can feel the scars on his hands. They must be from helping his father run the farm...'

They talked and talked for hours, both happy that they found a new friend they can relate with, although one is just a farmer's son and the other is a princess. Soon, after a few visits to the courtyard, Hiro became really familiar with the castle and its inhabitants, and they were very friendly towards him knowing that he's just a harmless child, and as nobles don't believe in superstitious things that the peasants believe in.

However, one night, when everyone was sleeping soundly, a bandit raid broke out, and most of the farms were burnt down. Hiro's was one of those farms. During the raid, he woke up to find a giant hole in his parents' room's wall, and his parents being brutally sliced and diced in their room by a large bandit wielding a bloody Killer Axe. The bandit then spotted him, and when Hiro realized that, he bolted down the stairs of his house. The bandit grunted and chased after him, but not before lighting the house with a torch. As Hiro ran out the door, he tripped and fell. As he got up, he saw his house was covered in flames and that the bandit is giving chase. He knew he couldn't outrun the bandit, so he took out his fire tome, and started chanting...

Another bandit, walking nearby after looting a neighboring house, called his friends over after seeing the barbequed corpse of the bandit that attacked Hiro's parents. In his rage, he chased down the crying young boy that sat on the side of the road. He followed the boy through the market, and unknowingly through the West Passage and towards the castle. Running through the open gates, not thinking about why it was open, being blinded by rage over his fried comrade, he was impaled by Eiji's trusty Steel Lance. "Take that!"

As the other bandits arrived on the scene, they were made short work by Eiji's lance and Hiro's fire. However, one of them managed to get around the duo, and snuck up behind Hiro. Hiro turned just in time to see the bandit, and jumped to the side, but the bandit was able to make a small cut on his arm. He winced in pain. During that split second, the bandit sliced the tome in half. Defenseless, Hiro ran. The bandit ran after him, only to be sliced in half by Kyoshiro's Silver Katana. "GO KID! RUN TO THE COURTYARD! BANDITS HAVE MITSUNA AND MY FATHER SURROUNDED!"

'Mitsuna,' Hiro thought, as he received an Elfire tome from one of Kyoshiro's mages. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him to the courtyard. King Yamato was doing well against the bandits, killing a few here and there with his Aura tome. However, he was soon shot down by a stray arrow. Mitsuna was near his father's corpse, wielding an Iron Sword, and would have been sliced in half by a Myrmidon had Hiro not burned him with a well aimed Fire. In this moment of desperation, Mitsuna was hit by an arrow on her arm, and the guards around them fell down one by one...it seemed hopeless.

'NO! NOT NOW! I CAN'T DIE NOW!' Hiro's head screamed...'...I'll protect Mitsuna with my life...I can't let her die...not now...' The necklace that Kyoshiro gave him suddenly shined a bright crimson light, and a ruby appeared on its center. Then time seemed to stop around Hiro. A voice boomed "You wish to protect the ones you love most, yet you do not have the power to. I shall help you, little one. My sword shall be given to those of good heart in desperate need of it. Together we shall slay our enemies to protect those that we love!"

Time then started running again. However, instead of a Fire tome, in his hand, Hiro had a long, evil looking katana, with an intricate pattern, painted black on its sharp blade, which looked menacing as it is colored a dark crimson color, just like blood. Its hilt was smooth, colored black, with the symbol of a devil and angel's wing on a sword at the point where the hilt touches the blade, and somehow fit perfectly in Hiro's small hands. Surprisingly, it was light considering its huge size.

A voice rang in Hiro's head. "Together we shall lay our enemies to protect those that we love! The Muramasa is now yours!" 'Muramasa,' he thought. Then Hiro seemed to go into a berserker rage, eyes glowing bright red in the darkness of the night, and sliced any bandits coming towards him and Mitsuna with precision and fury, as he danced a dance of death. After sometime, he and his sword were covered in blood, with the bodies of the bandits all around him, and then he passed out.

"DEVIL'S CHILD!", they called him though he protected the princess, even staking his own life to do it. Then the townspeople banished him after hearing of his fighting abilities when he was protecting the princess.

"Mitsuna..."

"Hiro..." Both cried after Hiro told Mitsuna of his banishment from the town.

"No Hiro, please don't leave me...who will I talk to when I'm sad and lonely...who will I talk to when I want to have fun..."

"Mitsuna...I'm sorry..."

The timid young boy is now a...slightly less shy person, but is now far better at talking. "Mitsuna, I'll miss you. I'm glad that we were able to live through that night. I'll be leaving in a few days, after the school year is over. ...I...should have told you this earlier..." Hiro looked toward the ground, swallowed, and hoped for the best...

"...I...I love you, Mitsuna." Then, awkward silence took its place, like the first time the two met. Hiro expected rejection. After all, he is the 'Devil's Child.' However, what broke the silence was completely unexpected. The young princess kissed him and held him tightly.

"Please don't leave me Hiro. I love you too."

Back to the beginning:

Hiro went on a trade ship that went to Elibe. He decided to stay as far away from home as possible.

Upon arriving, he walked to the nearby village, a Sacaean village. There, he arrived exhausted and out of breath. A kind young woman archer, seeing the poor boy collapse at the gates of the village, took him in and decided to raise him. Her name was Ayla, and she took care of him until he was 13. There, the Sacaean swordmaster inspected the Muramasa. Yuan, which was his name, was very curious about it. He asked Hiro why he has the Muramasa, and Hiro's answer would always be a gift from a good friend. He trained Hiro in the arts of the sword, seeing the boy's potential after seeing him use it.

Being a mage as well, Hiro was able to multitask during battle with his mighty sword and his Fimbulvetr tome. Life was perfect here, and Hiro wanted nothing more than to stay here forever. However, one day, BANDIT RAID! His village was burnt down, with only Yuan, Ayla, and him as the survivors.

"DAMMIT!" cried Yuan, angered that all his friends were dead.

"Calm down Yuan...you're not the only one that lost friends..."said Ayla.

"I know...and I shall avenge the lives lost today. But that was the Black Fang. I thought they only attacked the rich."

Ayla replied, "Do you remember of that man that came to stay here? That fat lord? Well, he's the master of a nearby castle and has been oppressing his people, so I think the black fang attacked us because we were providing him cover or something like that..."

"DAMMIT! CURSE THOSE NOBLES! ALWAYS USING THEIR POWER TO DO SOMETHING STUPID, AND WE GET TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF THEM!" Hiro just stayed silent, his heart aching as Yuan's words reminded him of Mitsuna. "Hiro, I think you should go to the tactician's guild nearby. Yuan and I will hunt down the leader of this little pack to avenge our fallen comrades."

4 years later:

"And the winner of this year's fighting tournament is, HIRO SASUKE!" said the announcer. Hiro walked down the stairs off the arena towards his friends. That's right, friends. Hiro changed over the last four years. After having his life destroyed by bandits twice, he went to the tactician's guild to join up and be able to use his skills to help others in need. He became a seasoned Swordmagi and was the top swordsman at the guild, not to mention a worthy tactician as well. He usually wore his dark blue Sacaean shirt and pants, with his necklace safely tucked under his shirt. On his leather belt he had a sword cover to hold his Muramasa. He sometimes wears a black cloak. His slight yet still muscular build attracted many girls at the guild, and he has a small scar on the middle of his face. His short spiky hair, however, is his trademark. In simpler terms, the Sacaean Badass.

"GOOD JOB BUDDY!" His best friend, fellow tactician and a mercenary, Jack, jumped him and hugged him. Now, Jack is a big jock, with a football player's build. Guess what that hug did to Hiro's ribs. "...ribs...(cough)...breaking...(hack)...seeing...life...flash...(cough)...before...my...eyes(hack)."

"Sorry."

Ian, a myrmidon, slapped him hard on the back.

"(cough)"

"YEAH! TONIGHT WE GET DRUNK!"

Hiro meekly said thanks and then regained his badass aura, which was totally ruined a few seconds ago by Jack's hug. His other friends, Kassar, Louie, and Mark nodded to Ian's remark and walked with Hiro and Jack.

"Hiro, I'm pleased to say that you, and your friends, Ian, Jack, Kassar, Louie, and Mark have earned the right to finally set out into the world to help with your tactician skills," said Mua, the leader of the tactician's guild. Hiro and Kassar, the quiet ones, smiled with glee and high fived while the other guys hooted like maniacs.

Ian, as usual, said "YEAH! TONIGHT WE GET DRUNK!"

"Now before you leave boys, I want to congratulate you by telling the whole tactician's school about your extraordinary abilities, as well as show you to some of the new students."

Later, on the way to the assembly room:

As Hiro walked down a hallway towards the back of the stage to prepare for the assembly, he felt strange. He smelled something very familiar, but couldn't remember what it was. As he walked towards the end of the corridor and to turn at the corner...

BAM!

He crashed into another person, apparently a girl tactician, who was also turning the corner...and landed in the most awkward position, with his torso between the girl's legs and his face in the girl's...um...yeah, you know...Hiro immediately got up and apologized like a squirrel on crack. The girl's face turned red as a tomato when he saw the cute guy in front of her, and got up to say it's her fault. Then she saw the Muramasa. When Hiro stopped apologizing, he looked at her and...awkward silence took its cue.

In front of him was a black haired girl with sapphire eyes that sparkled with loneliness and curiosity (sound familiar?), and a face still red as a tomato. She wore a short red skirt with a shiny crimson breastplate, red stockings and boots, and a small red cape. He also noticed that this girl was HAWT. I mean, curves and all.

On Hiro's mind, 'DAYUM! This is my lucky day! Okay, Hiro, get it together, don't just stare at her, say something studly like you always do...come on, dammit, say something!' Hiro's tounge wouldn't make a sound.

The girl's mind was going '...Hiro?' as she looked at his menacing yet mesmerizing blood red eyes.

Then Mark walked by. "Hey! I've been looking all over for you! Oh? Chilling with this damn fine lady I see. Yo, we gotta get on the stage man!" Hiro snapped out of his trance.

"Oh...right...sorry...uh...see ya." He said to the girl. 'She seems so familiar, with all that red and...black hair...and blue eyes...and...is...is it really her?'

All right people, the end of the prologue. You should know who the mystery chick is.

Uh...R&R PEOPLE! Flames are accepted, but not too harsh, okay? Please?

R&R! You know you want to.


	2. Hiro prologue 2:reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem and everything associated to it. Wished I owned Jaffar though. Badassness at its prime.

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THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

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Prologue 2: Reunion of Long Lost Lovers**

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Hiro sat in his room on his bed, fiddling with his necklace. His roommate Jack was snoring loudly on the other bed. It was late at night, and it was a full moon outside. Hiro was thinking about Mitsuna, wishing she was there with him then to share the moment where he had succeeded; from a mere farmer's boy to a full-fledged and skilled tactician/ mage/ myrmidon. He wished she was there to share his moment of happiness. But she wasn't, and all he could do now is wish that she would magically appear right in front of him. How he missed her beautiful face and soothing voice, he missed her wonderful singing which would calm him down if he cried; he missed her a lot, damn it. 

He thought about his encounter with the sapphire-eyed tactician. She was hot, no doubt about it, and although he was sure he never met her before, she seemed incredibly familiar. Not being able to sleep, he decided to take a short walk. He opened the door of housing room P69 (Jack chose this room because he thinks that P stands for pimp and...well...69 explains itself), and walked out the door, and towards the garden. Coincidentally, he has to pass the showers to get to the garden. He decided to take his Fimbulvetr tome with him to read at the park.

The sapphire eyed tactician went to the girls' shower room, and took off her clothes. If any boy was up that late and bothered sneaking into that room, he would have had a major nosebleed. She then took a short shower. She always slept late; she doesn't know why, but since she was a child she was always like that. She fiddled her necklace, which looked exactly like Hiro's, but with a sapphire pendant instead of a ruby to match.

It was 4 years ago when her brother went to Elibe to hire some Pegasus Knights to join her castle's army, and to get a LOT of Ilian rum. However, after all those years, he never returned. He gave her this necklace as a keepsake. He told her it carried one of the legendary weapons used to slay dragons waaay back then. He told her that he also gave one to an old friend. He himself wielded one, but it had an emerald on it to match his azure eyes.

She remembered when the necklace awakened. 4 years ago, her castle was being attacked by an invading army from Bern. It was obviously a one-sided battle; the castle guards were no match for the mighty wyvern riders. When her friend, the castle's gatekeeper, was about to get impaled, time stopped, and a lovely female voice said, "Come, young one. Do you wish to protect your friends, family, and other loved ones? If you have the will and the courage to do so, I shall lend you my power. As long as you have the will, you shall succeed!" Then time returned.

Instead of her Steel Sword, she was wielding a rapier like weapon. Its blade was dark blue, and it was shining in the sun. It was a very beautiful weapon; it looked like it was made for decorative purposes, not combat. However, it was very sturdy, and she had an excellent grip on it. It was also light as a feather. A voice rang through her head "As long as you have the will, you shall succeed! The Diabolique is in your hands. Use it wisely"

'Diabolique', she thought. Then she somehow summoned a blue magical field around the gatekeeper and saved him. However, even with this weapon, she wasn't skilled enough to be able to fight off the wyvern riders. So, she and the gatekeeper escaped to Elibe through a trade ship, hoping to be able to find her brother and get his help. When they arrived, the gatekeeper made her join the tactician's guild so build up her skills so that she would be ready when they returned to liberate the castle. The gatekeeper went to Ilia to search for the girl's brother.

After finishing, she put on her clothes and got out of the shower room and was about to walk back to her room when a hand grabbed her by the mouth, and more grabbed her body. She struggled, but to no avail.

"Damn, I told you the girls here are fine, but you just won't listen, Villa," said a voice behind the girl, sounding very satisfied after his catch.

Villa replied, "Hey, I'm not that desperate to get laid that I need to rape someone, I just don't want you guys to get caught. That, and I'm the only one able to keep you guys under control, Gan."

A hand slapped, groped, and pinched the girl's bottom. "Damn, that's REAL smooth and tight! Come on, Villa, lighten up and have some fun!"

"Fool, I said I'm only here so you guys don't go out of control, Pouten. Shiba, I thought you would have more sense and wouldn't have come."

"Meh," Shiba said, as he pulled down her panties.

The girl finally managed to get her mouth out from under Gan's hand. She screamed for help. "HELP ME I'M GETTING RAPED!"

Hiro was on his way back from his walk around the garden when he heard a girl scream "HELP ME I'M GETTING RAPED!" His impulsive reaction was to run to the source of the sound. Using his masterful sneaking skills, he hid in the nearby shadows and found the rapists. The girl they were raping turned out to be the girl from earlier that day. 'Damn,' he thought. Acting on instinct, he immediately chanted.

"FIMBULVETR!"

"What?" Gan was surprised at that cry.

'Damn. How could this happen? How did I not sense the caster's presence nearby?' Villa pondered. Shards of ice flew from the shadows, as a tornado of ice appeared near the group and headed towards it, crashing into the rapists, but surprisingly not the girl (who was cowering in fear and crying), and Villa who was able to jump away in time.

'Damn, this guy's good,' thought Villa. 'It's not often I get surprise attacked. Now to find out where he is...THERE!' he thought, as he found the location of the spell's caster, and threw a dagger at the spot. Immediately the blizzard stopped.

'Damn!' Hiro thought as he dodged an incoming dagger while closing his tome. He instinctively reached for his Muramasa, but felt nothing as he remembered that he left it in his dorm room '#$!#' So he opened his tome again and began chanting while strafing towards the girl, while still staying in the shadows.

"Urgh!" grunted Villa as he was hit with a shard of ice. It cut deep into the skin on his good arm. 'This isn't good. He disabled me. He's really good though, he managed to control the spell so that it doesn't hit the girl or my knocked out goons...Looks like I'll have to retreat for now.'

With that, Villa hopped away from the blizzard and left the guild building.

After the blizzard cleared, Hiro checked his surroundings. The rapists were knocked out, but noticed that one was missing; the one that managed to dodge the first attack. The girl was still cowering in fear and crying. He walked towards her, and as he did, he noticed something shining in the moonlight. Her Necklace. He stopped in his tracks as he noticed it; it looked exactly like his, but in place of his ruby, there was a sapphire. Then he walked towards her again.

"Are you OK?" He asked her, and mentally slapped himself. She was just raped, or was about to get raped if not for his intervention. Of course she's not OK.

The girl looked up at her savior, and nodded slowly. Hiro could see tears in her eyes.

"Go back to your dorm room, I'll clean this mess up." The girl meekly nodded, then got up, realizing that she still had her panties down, pulled it up (she bent down, giving Hiro a good view of the top of her chest), embarrassed. Hiro blushed. She then walked towards her room while Hiro told the guards.

'...Hiro...?' thought the girl, as she remembered looking into his scarlet eyes.

The next morning, Hiro and his friends were called to the guild leader/ headmaster's office. Mua was congratulating Hiro, and so were his friends. Jack, the horny one, said "Hiro you stud! You should have been a cavalier or something! Your sense of chivalry is amazing it would rival even a paladin's!"

"Thanks."

"Well, today is the day we list the top 10 members of each gender. All of you made it, and I'm very proud of you all. Even you, Jack."

Ian gave his predictable, "YEAH! WE'RE GONNA GET DRUNK TONIGHT!"

Mark, however, wasn't as happy, "Damn, fool, I still feel horrible after the hangover we got from LAST night. I don't know how you and Hiro manage it, but you guys must have stomachs of Ogrenium! You guys NEVER get hangovers!"

"'Cuz we're cool like that."

The headmistress called the girl and her 5 friends over to her office and said the same thing Mua did with Hiro and his group.

The order of the boys' top ten list, from 10th to 1st, as it was read during the boys' assembly:

David, Edaos, Firion, Gaza, Jack, Ian, Kassar, Louie, Mark, and Hiro.

The lists were then posted on the girls' and boys' main hallways' bulletin boards to show the other gender because the assemblies were separate.

"Come on Hiro, at least we'll be able to get a list of the girls' names," said Jack as he tried to persuade Hiro to check out the girls' list.

"Fine already...but I can't guarantee I'll be satisfied."

The girl was persuaded by her friends to do the same with the boys' list.

She looked up the list from the bottom to the top, reading the boys' bios and then finally their names and portraits. She lazily went up the list, giggling with the rest of her friends after reading the bios, which were usually funny and incredibly horny. However, they stopped laughing when they read number one's bio, which was incredibly sorrowful, and it actually made them cry. All except the sapphire-eyed girl, who knew the beginning of the story all too well. She then looked up to see the name; sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed. Hiro was indeed at the guild. She thought she saw him before, so to confirm her suspicions she looked at his portrait...to find that he didn't provide one. In an instant, she bolted to the headmaster's office so she can call Hiro there using the announcement system. She'll finally see him again, and ran towards the office at maddening speed, half skipping, half sprinting, filled with joy.

At the same time, in the boys' main hallway, Hiro lazily read through the girls' bios, names and portraits, much like the girl and her friends. But since they're guys, they made horny jokes instead of giggling. Hiro just finished pissing the crap out of Louie when he started reading #1's bio. Also, when he read her name, he looked for a portrait, but there wasn't one either. "Holy $h!t!", and with that, he bolted towards the headmaster's office.

"Damn, already looking for the girl. And he said he might not be satisfied." Kassar finally talked and made his first horny comment since, like ,EVER!

"heh heh, satisfy..."he said while licking his lips.

"What are you thinking now, man..."asked Louie.

"And you guys say I'm a pervert..."said Jack, sweatdropping.

The Headmasters' office is in the middle of the campus. Hiro is running at the same speed as the girl tactitian and started roughly at the same time, heading towards the same place, and the distances between the 2 places are roughly equal.

As Hiro and the girl saw the door to the office, they sped up. At the junction of the 2 hallways, they crashed head on. Mark, the fastest runner of Hiro's group chased after Hiro and was close enough to see that. "OOOH! DAYUM! That's gonna leave a mark..." Lina, the fastest runner of the girl's group also gave chase to the girl and said the same thing.

"We seem to be seeing each other a lot at the most awkward moments these last few days," said the girl to Hiro, who was out and on top of her.

"...Mommy, I just had the worst hangover EVAR..."said Hiro as he rolled off...and saw that people were looking at them. "What are you looking at? Never seen to people running really fast and crashing into each other before?"

"You okay?" Hiro asked the girl

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

"Going to the office too, huh?"

"Yeah...I'm looking for someone..."

"What a coincidence, so am I."

With that the 2 entered the office.

Mua greeted them.

"Oh, greetings children. What can I do for you today?"

"I'm looking for someone!" both Hiro and the girl said in unison, and Mua sweatdropped.

"Uh...ladies first..."offered Hiro.

"Thanks" replied the girl. 'He's very polite; so hard to find guys like that these days...'

"Uh...Headmaster Mua, can you make an announcement, and call Hiro Sasuke here?"

"What a coincidence, that's me..."

"Yeah, there he is..." said Mua.

Then, awkward silence, AGAIN!

Then the most unexpected thing happened (or maybe not so unexpected). The girl jumped on Hiro and kissed him hard and held him tightly. Hiro was surprised at this but didn't struggle. He felt this warm embrace before, he felt this same sensation on his lips 12 years ago. He had regained what he was missing for so long, and he knew it the moment this happened.

"I...I'll just leave you two alone...yeah, that's what I'll do...yeah..." said Mua. 'I did NOT need to see my 2 best students making out right in front of me...'

"Hello Mitsuna. I've missed you," said Hiro, happy to finally be reunited with his lost love.

"I missed you too, Hiro," was her reply. "It's funny...We ran into each other so often these last few days but we didn't recognize each other. Must have been all these years..."

The two traded stories of what happened during the last 12 years

"I'm...sorry to hear that," said Hiro, trying to comfort his girlfriend. "I hope Kyoshiro's still alive, he was a good friend of mine as well..."

"Thank you..." and they were locked in another deep embrace and French kiss.

Meanwhile, outside, their friends were eavesdropping. Mitsuna's friends: Lina, Kellia, Janet, Irene, and Hilda were discussing the lovers' stories after hearing them with Hiro's friends.

"They're a cute couple, I think," said Hilda, the most mature of the group. Mark agrees.

"Aww, it's so romantic, long lost loves reuniting after 12 long years..."said Janet, sparkly eyed. Louie, the fruity one, "Yes indeed, they make a most delicious and romantic couple!" Not expecting that from a guy, everybody sweatdropped.

"What did I say?"

Later that day, Mua received a letter from an unknown source by pigeon mail. It was addressed to Hiro and Mitsuna:

"DO NOT LET THE BLACK FANG OR ANYONE ELSE NEAR THE SACRED SWORDS, OR THE PLAN WILL BE DONE FOR."

'The sacred treasures, it couldn't be...Muramasa, Diabolique, Ragnarok, Zantetsuken, Harusame, Etherion, and Einharjar are with these 2 kids? I thought we sealed them long ago to keep them from the hands of evil...'Mua thought. 'I must interrogate them about this matter.'

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**End of prologue 2**

**R&R People, just click the button there and it's done!**


	3. Hiro prologue 3:beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem. The only things I own here are Hiro, Mitsuna, and their buddies.

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THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

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Prologue 3: Only the beginning**

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Kyoshiro is tired. Very tired. He and Eiji have been on the run from the Bern officers for 3 years now. And those 3 long years were very hard on them. "Almost there, Noah," Kyo told his wyvern. The young wyvern knight, with his 1 ton loyal vassal, were a heavy load for the exhausted Noah, and their speed was decreased even further by the heavy rain. "Bloody hell." 

Kyoshiro fiddled with his necklace, and looked at the hilt of his mighty sword, the Ragnarok, which was strapped onto his back. This is a zweihander-like sword, which requires both hands to wield and is usually very heavy, but it required little to no effort for him to wield it. He thought back to the time when he first awakened it.

4 Years Ago:

Kyoshiro finally arrived at Ilia, land of the Pegasus knights. He was weak and tired, and most of his men were wiped out by Bern's forces which for some reason were hunting them down. He arrived at the inn, and decided it's time to take a small break. He greeted the bartender. "How about some world famous Ilian Rum?"

"Sure. 1 G a mug."

"Alright, here's the money." Kyo spent 20 G.

"Uh...Sir, I think you've had enough..."commented the bartender.

"I'LL TELL YOU WHEN I'VE HAD ENOUGH (hick)!" was the reply he got.

Eventually, Kyo passed out, and was forced to rent a room for the night. The next day, after having the worst hangover of his life, he went downstairs and asked for the directions to the Pegasus Knight Mercenary HQ. After getting them, he left. When he arrived, what he saw was completely unexpected. In Chija, Peg Knights were a rare sight, and they usually fly so high you couldn't tell the rider's gender. Well, it turned out that they are all female. 'Sweet,' Kyo thought. However, upon entering, he saw 2 men in dark cloaks.

They asked him, "Kyoshiro Yamato?"

He replied, "Who wants to know?" And they replied by twin Flux spells which blasted him out.

"This makes our job so much easier, Tweedledee."

"I know, we won't have to hunt him down now, Tweedledum," said the 2 dark cloaked figures.

"What do you want with me," said Kyo as he coughed up blood, still trying to recover from the spell.

"Give us the necklace and you won't get hurt anymore than you already have been." These words struck Kyo like a Spear through the heart. 'Have they been hunting us down just to get THIS little necklace? Must be some powerful magic artifact or something. I better not give it to them...'

"NEVER!" Kyo yelled back stupidly.

"A shame, really"

"Yes, you now must die" They fired twin flux spells again. Kyo was sent flying towards a young Pegasus knight and her steed.

"AAH!" cried the Peg knight.

"Sorry!" said Kyo as he coughed up more blood.

"It's okay...it looks like you need help..."

"No, I'm fine...GAH!" Kyo was hit by an Eclipse spell. "Nevermind that..."

Then the cloaked figures fired twin Luna Spells at the Peg knight and she was almost totally incapacitated. 'No...if she dies, it'll be entirely my fault because I wanted her to help me...I CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN!' Time stopped. A voice boomed and called upon him.

"The enemies you fight are obviously too powerful for you to handle. Why do you fight? It's useless to win."

'BECAUSE I CAN'T DIE WITH THE GUILT OF HER DEATH BEING EVEN INDIRECTLY CAUSED BY ME!'

"Guilt is not an emotion to fear, it is an emotion that teaches you lessons for you to get more powerful. However, too much of it is not good for the human heart and mind. To protect that, you must be stronger. You must want to become stronger to conquer overwhelming odds!" With that, time ran again, and Kyo's Silver Katana was replaced by a giant sword. Its giant blade was a light green with white patterns on its blade. On the place where the blade is connected to the hilt, angel and demon wings are the decorations. A voice rang in Kyo's head, 'You must want to become stronger to conquer overwhelming odds! Only with that will can you truly master the Ragnarok!'

'Ragnarok...' Kyo then charged his chi into his blade, a technique he learned from an old master a few years back.

"SONIC SLASH!" yelled Kyo, as he fired a giant green wave of wind that cut through the cloaked figures.

'Damn it, she's dying...gotta get her to a hospital' and with that Kyo ran off.

A few days later...

"...um...mister Yamato?" the young girl called Kyo

"...oh? I see you're better now."

"Yeah, thanks to you. My name's Fiaa. My Pegasus is called Brilliante. We offer you our greatest gratitude for saving me."

"Hey, it's no big deal. You decided to help me after all. I should be thanking you. Well, I'll be leaving now."

"Uh...if it's not too much trouble, can I go with you?

Kyo looked very surprised. "You sure? People are hunting me down because of the necklace I wield. You almost got killed because of that."

Fiaa nodded vigorously. "Of course. I need to go see the world some more. It's not really fun just working in the few countries around here."

Kyo agreed. They became mercenaries so Kyo could pay for the Peg Knights' help to help Castle Nagasaki's forces. Then a few months later...

Eiji walked into the bar tired. His face immediately lifted up when he saw a young man with aquamarine hair and azure eyes. "LORD KYO!"

"hmm?...Eiji my man!"

Eiji told him that Castle Nagasaki has been taken over by Bern...

Back to the present:

"The tactician's guild, eh? Sounds interesting. I'd like to see how my little sister is doing."

At the headmaster's office: 1 week after the events in chapter 2

"Congratulations Mitsuna and Hilda, you have been hired to become tacticians for Castle Pherae!" Mua congratulated them.

Ian: "YEAH! WE'RE GETTING DRUNK TONIGHT!"

"No, we're not, especially because you owe me about 300 G in BEER," said Mark coldly.

"You will be leaving in 2 days, ladies."

"WHAT?" cried Hiro and Mitsuna simultaneously "Sir, we just got reunited for a single week and now we're to be separated again?"

"Afraid so," replied the headmaster. "Now, I'd like you all to leave. Except Hiro and Mitsuna." He waited for everyone but the 2 to leave. After everyone else left, he started asking them: "I have received this note from an anonymous source addressed to you two. It warns you that you keep the sacred swords that you have under your guard all the time. I'm surprised that you even have sacred swords. I would like to inspect them, actually."

Hiro and Mitsuna took out their Muramasa and Diabolique.

"(gasp)" 'It really is true...but what about the other 2..? No matter, I must give them all the help I can so they will keep these weapons from falling into the Black Fang's hold.'

"OK then. Guard these with your lives. You don't know how strong these things really are, I can tell by the confused looks on your faces when I gasped in fear. DO NOT let them fall into the hands of the Black Fang, or a man named Nergal. Trust no one but each other to be able to hold your weapon. Back to business, Mitsuna prepare to leave. Hiro, you are given the permission to look into the Sacaean plains to help the villages defeat the bandits there."

"Yes sir." The 2 then left.

"Hiro"

"Yes sir?"

"I trust that you will also look out for Mitsuna. If she is harmed, I know her father will have my head if he was alive."

"Of course sir."

2 days later:

"I'll see you later, Hiro" With that, Mitsuna entered a deep long kiss with Hiro, and left towards castle Pherae with Hilda.

Hiro walked towards the Sacaean plains, his second home...

A few hours later, a wyvern and Pegasus were docked at the stables. Kyo, Eiji, and Fiaa went towards the headmaster's office and asked Mua about Mitsuna. Kyo left immediately to Castle Pherae, but stopped after 3 minutes in the air. He felt something was wrong. Very wrong. With that, he headed towards the Plains of Sacae.

Hiro was glad to be back in the wild. He also loved the guild, with his friends and Mitsuna there, life was never dull. But for peace and tranquility, nothing beats the Sacaean plains. He used to enjoy relaxing under the sun when he was living under Ayla's roof. He loved the wind of the plains and enjoyed swimming in the fresh rivers. He missed the place a lot. He walked towards the ruins of his old village.

"AAARGH! I can't wait anymore! When is he gonna get here!" whined a young man dressed all in black, playing around with a steel sword.

"Patience, patience, he'll be here soon enough," said Villa. "We can't mess this up. Lord Nergal will have our heads if we do. Therefore I can't have you being a jackass about everything or we're both dead." Villa fiddled his Shamshir in his hands. This assassin is thirsty for blood. "I hope this Hiro's a challenge or this will all have been a waste of time." He then licks his blade, and finally puts it back in its sheathe, and then suddenly stopped moving. "He's here..."

Hiro arrived at the ruins of his old village. He went to the cemetery to pay his respects, then walked to the place where he put his secret stash. Sure enough, it was still there, under a big pile of ash. He took out a Silver Blade, an Elfire tome, an Ignius tome, and a Hoplon Guard. He put on his Hoplon Guard on his left pinky and put everything else in his backpack. Then, sensing something was wrong, he took the Muramasa out of his sheath, and entered a defensive stance while turning 180 degrees to block an incoming dagger. He saw his attackers, and spotted a symbol on one of them. 'The Black Fang', Hiro recognized it from when that group destroyed this village. 'Why would they be back here?'

"Give us the necklace and the sword and we won't kill you," said Villa. "You're pretty good, I'll give you that! I salute you on that!" he congratulated Hiro as the myrmidon ran up to the other assassin.

"Here's my salute! (Hiro sticks out his middle finger while stabbing the whiny black fang with his sword with his other hand) Why don't you take it and shove it up yours? I'll never give you my necklace and sword! NOT AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE HERE!"

"I see that you are a victim from the attack here. That's a shame, really."

"Leave me alone! I won't give you my sword!"

"Then I must resort to desparate measures!" Villa takes out a round object and chucks it at the ground, sending an electromagnetic pulse towards Hiro's direction. Hiro blocked it with his sword, but he was still stunned. "Time to end this," Villa takes out his Shamshir and is about to drive it through Hiro when he heard...

"SONIC SLASH!"

Villa jumped away. "WHAT? Another sacred sword? Damn, this isn't looking good. I'll be back." With that, he took out 3 spheres. One he threw at the incoming aerial units, 1 he threw at Hiro, and the last he threw at the ground in front of him.

"See ya!"

A gigantic explosion happened right in front of Kyo and Fiaa, forcing their mounts to turn back or to get scorched.

Another one appeared in front of Hiro. 'Damn...I can't die yet' Hiro took his sword out in front of him, and somehow a fire barrier was set up and blocked the explosion's heat. However, it was not enough to keep him from getting blown clear off the area; to another Sacaean village, in fact. After that, Hiro saw black.

Hiro finally woke up. He looked around and scanned his surroundings. He appeared to be in the home of a Sacaean. He tried to get up, but groaned as his leg cried out in pain. "GAH!"

A young Sacaean girl entered the front door. She had dark greenish bluish hair, tied into a ponytail. She has a sword sheathed by her left hip. She wore Sacaean battle robes: teal of a light bluish shade, a robe which showed the sides of her thighs. She wore knee high boots. "I see you're finally awake. I found you unconscious nearby, and I couldn't just leave a fellow plainsman in need, so I took you in. You've been asleep for 2 days. I'm glad you're finally awake."

"Thanks. My name's Hiro Sasuke."

"My name's Lyn, pleased to meet you!" replied the girl.

End Chapter 1


	4. Lyn Prologue:Girl from the Plains

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, I only own my characters.

I feel like making a large update today, so after this I'm putting in Lyn's first chapter.

Thanks to Draknal for the tips. I'm taking them into consideration with this next leg of the fic.

A little bit of trivia: the characters aren't based on my friends, except for Jack, who in real life doesn't have the same name. The names of the sacred swords obviously come from Final Fantasy, and some of the characters' names are from a game called Riviera

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THE TACTICIAN'S WISH**

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Prologue 4: A Girl from the Plains**

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After the small skirmish:**

"Eiji, is that Myrmidon...Hiro?" asked Kyo

"Looks like it milord, he's wielding a crimson bladed katana, just like Mua told us. I'm surprised he's still alive, though, being banished at the age of 5 and all. And that he'd turn out to be a tactician! I thought he was going to be a hermit with his personality!" replied Eiji. "I'm even more surprised that he's your sister's girlfriend!"...Eiji pondered. "How did you know he was in trouble, milord?"

"I...don't know. It's like my sword was telling me to go this way. Must be some type of mystic link."

"um...Fiaa.." a Pegasus knight flew close and called to Kyo's group and landed nearby.

"Florina! What are you doing here?" Fiaa replied to her fellow peg knight.

"um...I'm looking for a person...and I'm heading to a nearby village to look for information...um.."

"Still afraid of men I see," replied Fiaa, noticing that Florina looked intimidated by Kyo, Eiji, and Kyo's wyvern, Noah. "We're going to castle Pherae now. I wish you good luck in finding whoever it is you're looking for."

"Thank you! Oh, Fiaa?"

"Yes?"

"I heard that the house of Ostia is willing to pay big for some wyvern and peg knights. I think you should go there...and um...I would have told Farina but she wasn't to be found anywhere..."

"Oh...I thought she would be back by now..." Fiaa was disappointed to hear that her best friend hasn't returned. Then Florina left.

"House of Ostia, eh? Maybe we could get some help from there, or at least sell our services there, milord," suggested Eiji.

"You're right. My sister can wait; she can take care of herself."

With that, he and Eiji got on Noah again and Fiaa got on Brilliante, and they headed towards the House of Ostia.

Back at Lyn's place:

"ARGH!" Hiro yelled as he tried to get off the bed, and fell down to the ground immediately. He just noticed that his left leg was broken. '#$!& !' he cursed, and pulled himself up using his arms.

Lyn turned around. "uh...I don't think you should get up yet."

"You're right. Say, what tribe are you from?"

"I'm from the Lorca tribe...and you?"

"I was adopted into the Sargus tribe, which was almost completely wiped out except for me and 2 of my friends...There was a long story behind it that I'm not too fond of telling or even remembering. Wait, I heard that the Lorca tribe was attacked by bandits."

"That's right...my parents died during the attack," was Lyn's reply.

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that." Hiro and Lyn then heard a loud noise coming from outside. "hm?...What was that?"

"I don't know. You stay here, and I'll go check it out. You're in no condition to leave the bed," Lyn said with a concerned look.

"I'll hop on my good leg."

As the two exited, Lyn walking and Hiro hopping out, they noticed 2 brigands. Lyn thought that they were from the Bern Mountains, and that they were there to raid the nearby villages.

"Hiro, I have to stop them! You don't look like you're in any shape to use a sword, so stay close to me and I'll protect you."

"Are you sure you can take them? They look really tough. Look at them; they have muscles on top of muscles! And those Iron Axes look bloody sharp! I'm going to help you! I can use magic as well!" Hiro then reached for his Fimbulvetr tome, which wasn't there. "WHAT? WHERE DID IT GO!"

"When I found you, you only had your sword on you," replied Lyn.

"Damn. Well, I'm a tactician by trade. I can't help you directly, but I can give you battle advice," said a rather disappointed Hiro.

"Okay, thank you. That would help! Let's go get them!" and with that they took off towards the first bandit. They then jumped behind a rock near the brigand.

"He looks tough, but I think we can take him. Lyn, he hasn't spotted us yet. You look like a fast runner, so while he's looking the other way, I'll boost you up over the rock and you run up to him and stab him in the back of the head. Can you do that?" was Hiro's strategy.

"Yes I can. Just tell me when," replied Lyn.

Hiro then looked over at the bandit, who was staring at the mountains for no apparent reason. "Now!" Hiro took out his sword and held it parallel to the ground. "Run and jump on this. This should give you a boost large enough to land you about 5 feet behind him." Lyn dashed and leapt onto the blade, and sailed clear of the rock and landed behind the bandit where Hiro predicted she would land. As the bandit just heard the sound and was about to turn around, he saw a teal blur at the corner of his eye. He then swung his axe around quickly, and hit something. Lyn screamed in pain because of the strike, but immediately thrust her Iron Sword through the bandit's heart.

"My arm..."

"Lyn! You okay?"

"I'm fine, but...my arm...it hurts a lot," Lyn said as she pointed at her bleeding left arm. "I have a vulnerary in my satchel. Could you give it to me?"

"Vulnerary?" Hiro was puzzled at this new word.

"A vulnerary is a healing medicine that can cure any wound, but not poison and the like. It's like a cleric's healing ability, but is actually a sweet drink instead of a staff. Can you reach for one?"

"Sure." Hiro took out a small golden bottle and gave it to Lyn. Lyn drank it. Then immediately, the wound started to close, and eventually disappeared, like it never even existed. "That's new." Then they went towards the other bandit.

"HAHA!" The bandit laughed as he just struck down the owner of the ger he occupied. "Weaklings! Fear the might of the Taliver bandits!" He turned to see 2 Sacaean warriors walking...no, one of them was hopping on one leg towards him. "Hahaha! A woman warrior, and a cripple! This'll be fun. HEY LADY! Why don't you ditch the cripple and be my little sex slave and I'll spare you! No one can defeat Batta the Bandit!"

"...is he serious?" Hiro sweatdropped at hearing the cockiness of the bandit. "Well, Lyn, he might actually be tough. He looks much stronger than the last bandit; that much is certain. We also lost an advantage we had in the last combat; he already spotted us. I have a plan. Lure him here so we can both take him on."

"Can you actually fight on one leg? Vulneraries can't cure those you know; otherwise I would have given one to you," Lyn replied.

"..." "Well, I have a good throwing arm. I can throw my sword at him, and while he's distracted, you go in for the kill."

"...maybe I should see your throwing arm first..."

"fine." Hiro chucked his Muramasa at a nearby rock, but as he couldn't get a good stance with only one good leg, he fell and it landed way off target. "...plan b then."

Then Hiro yelled, "HEY, FUGLY!" Batta turned towards them after beating on the owner of the ger some more. "YEAH, YOU! WHY DON'T YOU COME OVER HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE?"

"Why did you do that?" Lyn grimaced.

"While I'm talking to him, I'll tell you to go check up on the ger. While I hold him here, you sneak behind him and stab him."

"Got it." She said as Batta closed in.

"Alright, I will! CRIPPLE!" He yelled as he saliva landed on Hiro's face. "Lyn, check on the ger."

"Okay." As Lyn tried to walk behind the bandit, Batta immediately punched Hiro away and swung his axe at Lyn, who dodged it. Hiro couldn't dodge the punch because he couldn't jump or roll away fast enough with only one leg. "Heh. I'm not that stupid you know. It looked like the little lady was going to hit me from behind."

'Damn,' Hiro thought.

"Don't worry Hiro, I'll fight him off!" With that, Lyn dashed at the bandit, and rolled to the side as he swung his axe at her. She then slashed her sword at his gut, which made a little cut as the bandit stepped backwards. Lyn then took this instant when the bandit flinched to try a stab, but the bandit was able to recover quick enough to move to let it only make a less fatal wound: a deep cut on his side. Pissed, he tore off his shit, and let loose a kick at Lyn, who was again dashing at him, and not expecting it, flew backwards. Batta then swung her axe at Lyn, who was able to dodge a would-be fatal blow, but was cut deeply on her side.

"ARGH!" Lyn screamed in pain as she back dashed. Hiro then reached for a vulnerary in his satchel that Lyn gave to him, and chucked it at Lyn. Lyn caught it while rolling away from a strike from Batta's axe. It got stuck in the ground. As Batta was trying to get it out, Lyn drank the vulnerary, and got up the same time Batta got his axe out. Batta then went into a whirlwind (think Barbarian from Diablo II) and tried to chop Lyn into little pieces. Lyn rolled under the attack, and then cut deep into one of Batta's legs. Batta screamed in pain, and Lyn took this chance to stab his heart.

"Ugh...Damn..." And with that he fell.

"Good job, Lyn. You saved us," Hiro congratulated the Sacaean plains girl.

"Thanks, but I wasn't careful enough. He could have killed me if not for the vulnerary. Looks like you do have a good throwing arm...I won, but I almost got killed. I need to get stronger to be able to survive."

"You're right. What do you plan on doing now, now that bandits are here?" Hiro asked.

"Maybe I should go to the nearby villages and warn them, but that was the last bottle of vulnerary I had. Maybe we should get some more at Bulgar. Have you been there before, Hiro?"

"Yeah, I've been there a couple of times to get a few magic tomes."

"Hiro... I want to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Um...I need to get stronger if I'm going to be able to protect this land. I'm impressed with your skill and maybe if I travel with you I'm going to get stronger. Can I follow you in your travels?"

"Sure, but shouldn't you at least tell the chief of the tribe?"

"The chief of the tribe was my father. As I told you, he already died...thanks to those bandits. I want to protect the people, but they wouldn't accept a woman to be their leader. And as you can see, I'm nowhere near strong enough. That's why I want to travel with you," Lyn finished and then cried.

"...Alright."

With that, they packed up their things, and walked / hopped towards Bulgar.

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End Lyn's Prologue**


	5. Lyn 1:Footsteps of Fate

I don't own Fire Emblem and whatever. I do own my original characters, which are the tacticians, and whoever else I list down below.

Important OC's so far: (T stands for Tactician)

Hiro: Myrmidon/Mage/T: Weapon: (Swords, Anima) Muramasa, lost Fimbulvetr

Mitsuna: Lord/T: Weapon: (Swords) Diabolique

Kyoshiro: Lord: Weapon: (Swords, Lances) Ragnarok: Mounted: Aerial (Wyvern)

Eiji: Armor Knight: (Lances) Steel Lance x2 : Armored

Fiaa: Pegasus Knight: (Lances) Iron and Steel Lance: Mounted: Aerial (Pegasus)

Hilda/T: Weapon?

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Lyn Chapter 1: Footsteps of Fate.**

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"Wow. I've been away from the plains for so long, I didn't remember that the place was this busy," said Hiro in his awe. "Let's get some supplies here, and go to a healer. My good leg is dying from all this hopping." Lyn giggled at this remark. "You're evil, you know that?" Lyn giggled again. Hiro sighed, and continued hopping while Lyn follows. "Alright then, the map here says that the healer is on the east side of town...I'll go there while you get some supplies. I'll meet you back here later, o..." Hiro was interrupted by a random stranger in green armor. 

The stranger kneeled in front of Lyn, took her hand and kissed it. "Wait, O beauteous one! Would you not favor me with your name? Or better yet, your company?"

Lyn sweatdropped, not impressed by this display. Lyn said in her coldest voice (which wasn't very harsh at all), "Where are you from, sir knight, that you speak so freely to a stranger?"

The stranger replied,"I thought you'd never ask! I am from Lycia. I hail from the Caelin canton, home to men of passion of fire!"

"Am I being ignored here?" Hiro said out of nowhere.

"Oh!" the stranger looked up, embarrassed, "I didn't know that you were with someone. My apologies, miss."

"No, I'm not her boyfriend..."and before Hiro finished, the stranger continued trying to woo Lyn (and doing a terrible job at it), as Lyn gave Hiro a death glare for saying that.

"Let's go, Hiro..."Lyn said in a MUCH colder tone. With that, the 2 walked/ hopped away.

"Wait! Please!" The stranger called.

"Another failed attempt? Sain, you are definitely not the ladies man you claim to be..." said the green armored stranger's companion, who is red armored with matching red hair, as he just walked nearby. "You shouldn't be wasting your time on these matters. We have a mission to complete here!"

"I know that. But how, Kent, could I remain silent in the presence of such beauty? It would have been discourteous!" Sain replied with flaming passion as the background become covered in flames, and Kent sweatdropped. "What do YOU know of courtesy, SAIN?" was Kent's reply.

"Uh, excuse me? You're blocking the road," said Lyn to the 2 strangers.

"OH! My apologies miss." Kent moved over.

"Hmph! Thank you. You, at least, are honorable and polite enough," said Lyn.

"Hm? You look familiar, have we met before?" said Kent uncharacteristically.

"EXCUSE ME?" said Lyn.

"No fair, Kent, I saw her first!" Kain butted in.

"HMPH! You Lycian knights are all the same! No decency with women! Come on Hiro, we're leaving," fumed an enraged Lyn, who dragged Hiro with him, grunting in pain that she was making him walk with his broken leg.

"Wait, please, it's not what you think!" begged Kent.

"SAIN, YOU DUMBA$$! It's NOT like that!" yelled Kent who again spoke uncharacteristically, and slapped his companion on the back of his head.

"What? Not like that? I thought you were..." replied Sain, but Kent interrupted.

"I am NOT you! Come on, let's follow her, I think she's our..."

"She's our what?...She's our mission? Naw..."

"What now Sain!" exclaimed Kent.

"You're sure that's not just a cover up for you really being gay?" asked Sain

Kent fumed, and would have impaled Kent with his Iron Lance if not for his disciplined mind. 'Don't kill him yet, he's your best friend. Don't kill him yet...' With that, Kent left in the direction the Sacaean left. "Wait, Kent!... damn." Sain followed him.

"Hiro I think we're being followed. Not by those knights, but I think they want to kill us," said Lyn in a worried tone.

"What gave you that idea?" asked Hiro sarcastically as a man, from the looks of his clothes, a bandit, entered the duo's sights.

"Heh heh. A pretty one! You're name is Lyndis, is it not?" asked the bandit.

Lyn had a shocked expression on her face, as Hiro noticed. 'Lyndis?' he thought.

"What did you call me? How do you know my real name? Who are you?" Lyn said, still shocked that the bandit called her that.

"What a waste, really, the thing's I'd do for money. Oh well, time to die, girly!" With that, he took out his iron axe, and began to swing. Hiro pushed the still shocked Lyn away, and took out his Muramasa to parry another blow. However, not being able to get a good stance, he fell from the heavy blow.

'Damn! He's stronger than I thought!'

"Hey, there she is!" Sain exclaimed.

"You again?" asked Lyn. "Can't you see that I'm busy here?" said Lyn as she dodged another blow from the bandit. Sain rushed up and slashed at the bandit, who retreated.

"Curse you, knight! Boys, let's get 'em!" with that, the bandit left.

Lyn was puzzled by his sudden intervention. "What? Why?"

"What's this? Such numbers against a single girl? Cowards, every one of you!" Sain yelled towards the bandits.

"I'm getting ignored again..."

"You! You're from..." said Lyn

"We'll discuss that later," said Kent as his steed stopped nearby. With him came another knight, this time in black armor. "Odin, finally you're here."

The newcomer was a rare sight. His hair was dark blue, but his most describing features were his eyes. They were a dark brown color, so dark that they looked almost completely black, like empty voids. He has a black bladed sword by his waist; the blade was oddly shaped, it looked like it could be used as a hook as well. (I can't really describe it, it's like Odin's sword from FF VIII.) Its handle was shining with a golden hue.

"Yeah. I see Sain has found himself another person to attempt and fail at wooing again," said the newcomer. Hiro noticed that he has a necklace exactly like his, with an obsidian instead of a ruby. Odin did the same with Hiro. Kent then said to Hiro,"You're a tactician, are you not? Can you command us in this battle?" Hiro nodded, still looking at Odin's necklace.

'Is that sword a legendary sword too?' he wondered.

"You're called Hiro, right? Allow me to impress the beauteous one! Let me go at them first!" Sain called to Hiro, who sweatdropped.

"You sure? Don't you want to..."

Sain interrupted by saying, "Thank you! FOR THE LADIES!" With that he charged towards a nearby bandit, lance out first. The bandit heard it, and immediately sidestepped to avoid the incoming weapon. Sain went right past him and his steed stopped just before they hit a tree in a nearby forest area. Sain, however, had his momentum carry him and he crashed into it. Odin rode up to him and pulled his friend back up. Kent rode up to him as well. "I can't believe I missed that badly..."

"Sain! Why didn't you use your sword? You know that Axes best Lances, don't you remember from combat training?" asked Odin.

"Truth be told, I forgot to buy one at the commercial center..." Sain said, embarrassed.

"(sigh) If you didn't spend so much time trying to woo women..." said Kent...

"Hey, I'm fine with just a lance!"

"Sure, but I'd prefer that you actually be able to do something other than brag. Here, I'll lend you my sword for now," sighed Kent, and with that he called Odin. "Hiro, let us make up for our companion's blunder!"

"Alright, attack the bandit!"

"Okay! Kent, you ready for this?" Odin exclaimed.

"As always!"

With that, the two knights yelled, "Slash-thru Double Team!" Then, the 2 knights' steed broke off into a run and the knights took their swords out to the side. Odin sliced low while Kent sliced mid-height, not giving the bandit any room to escape, thus being completely sliced and diced as the two knights turned their steeds around for two more strikes, each time alternating the height of their strikes.

Hiro was impressed at their teamwork. 'I gotta work on my teamwork with my buddies. I think a six point attack would look SO cool...'

"Hiro, let me make up for my mistake! It won't happen again, now that I have a sword on me!" Sain pleaded.

Hiro nodded. "Alright. There's a bandit nearby, go and get him."

"FOR THE LADIES!" Sain charged, but the bandit ran into the nearby forest area, and hid behind a tree. Sain couldn't find him, and was struck from behind as he turned around to look for the bandit. Luckily his armor protected him, and the bandit hid behind the trees again. "DAMMIT? HOW? I WAS USING A SWORD THIS TIME?"

"Fool. You chased him into a wooded area. You know how hard it is to find your enemies there?" asked Kent as Sain returned with a big huge slash on the back of his armor and a bleeding wound under it, and seeing that his companion had failed.

"(Sigh) Alright you two actually competent knights. Go kill the bandit." Then Odin and Kent rode towards the wooded area. The bandit jumped on Odin, who then fell off his steed. Kent took this opportunity while the bandit was occupied on fighting Odin to decapitate him. "Flawless victory," Kent said.

Odin complained, "Flawless victory, my A$$! My butt hurts from that fall. And it's expensive as hell to repair armor!" looking at a huge slash mark on the back of his armor, though it wasn't as deep as Sain's.

"Hmm, I think we should leave those bandits for the knight while we head for the leader, don't you agree Hiro?" Lyn asked.

"Good idea," he replied.

"Aww, although he's a total jerk, I can't leave a wounded man behind. I'll give him some vulnerary," said Lyn as she walked towards Sain. "...Sain, right?"

"Hey you remember my name! Yes, that's me, the gallant knight of Caelin!"

"...Right, whatever you say to make yourself feel better," commented Lyn. "Anyways, why have you not healed yourself?" asked Lyn.

"Oh, I'm injured? What a cad I am! To wrinkle that perfect brow of yours with worry for me..."Sain replied.

Lyn looked in awe at him, and said, "You've a bloody and very visible and seeming fatal scar on your back, and you've bled a liter of blood, AND YOU DIDN'T NOTICE IT?"

Sain, trying to be all macho and manly, said, "It's just a flesh wound!"

With that, Lyn sighed. "I was thinking of giving you a vulnerary, but... It looks like you're fine. So, never you mind."

Sain then begged for her to give it. "Wait! Please, I'll take it, I'll take it! I can't keep such a generous offer waiting! The healing power of love awaits with yon angel!" then Sain galloped towards Lyn, blood flying out of his back as he did so. Hiro hurled as Lyn threw Sain a vulnerary, with her face turning green. Sain then drank the miracle medicine, and the wound was gone almost immediately. "Ah, much better! You have my gratitude, my beauteous angel!" Lyn sweatdropped as he rode off to join his fellow in knights in taking care of the rest of the bandits. As Lyn and Hiro walked towards the leader, they heard in the distance, "DELTA BLADE TORNADO!"

'They come up with the cheesiest names...' Hiro thought.

Lyn then hid in a wooded area along with Hiro. "Alright, this one's the last of them. Let's go."

They approached the bandit. The bandit said, "Damn knights, always interfering in others' businesses." Then he charged at the 2 Sacaeans, and swung his axe Hiro dodged to the right while Lyn dodged to the left. They both took out their swords. Hiro slashed at the bandit's thigh while Lyn slashed the bandit's arm. The bandit kneeled in pain, and Lyn jumped up and impaled the bandit's head with her sword. "Victory!" the girl exclaimed.

"Alright, you knights have some explaining to do," said Lyn. "You want to discuss something with me, right?"

Kent nodded. "Indeed. We are knights under the service of Lady Madelyn who ran off and married a nomad 19 years ago. Our mistress is the Caelin's Marquess' only daughter. He was heartbroken that his own daughter would abandon him this way. He hoped that she would eventually return, but since that never happened, he declared that he had no daughter to become his heir."

'Madelyn?' Lyn thought.

Sain continued on where Kent left off, "This year, we received a letter from Lady Madelyn that stated that she was living happily with her husband and her daughter in the plains. She said that her daughter was 16 years old. The marquess was so happy and his grin was enormous to know that he has a granddaughter. This girl's name is Lyndis, the name of the Marquess' wife who has passed away."

"Lyndis?" Lyn exclaimed.

Odin continued, "The marquess was happy that this girl would have his wife's name. He just wants to see her now, and that's where we knights come in. Our mission was to find Lyndis. However, we didn't know that Lady Madelyn died soon after the letter was delivered. We didn't know about it until we recently reached Bulgar. We were disheartened by that, but the townspeople also said that she's still alive, living alone in the plains...Oh, for Elimine's sake, it's you isn't it?" Odin asked Lyn.

Lyn was still in a state of shock.

"I knew it immediately, you are the Lady Lyndis," said Kent.

"Why would you think that?" asked Lyn.

"Your resemblance to your mother is uncanny," he replied.

"Did you know my mother?" asked Lyn.

"No, but there were many portraits of her around the castle," replied Kent.

"To my tribe...they always called me Lyn. Only my parents would call me by Lyndis, my real name. I thought...that after they died, I had no more family in this world, no idea that I would have at least a grandfather. I thought that I would be called Lyndis again..."and Lyn stopped talking, and then remembered something. "That bandit! He called me Lyndis too!" she exclaimed.

"What? How could he have known?" asked Kent.

Odin then butted in, "They must have been some of Lundgren's hired goons."

Hiro finally spoke, "Who is this Lundgren?"

Sain answered this, "Lundgren is Lady Lyndis' granduncle. He wants to be the marquess when your grandfather dies. And to put it bluntly, he merely sees Lyndis as an obstacle in his path to becoming the Marquess." Lyn told him that she doesn't want to get the title.

"Apparently he doesn't believe that," replied Odin, "and he won't stop sending his goons after you until you die, milady."

Lyn looked really down at that statement. "What should I do now?" Lyn asked.

"You should go along with us to Caelin. We'll protect you, as it is dangerous to stay here," suggested Kent.

"Looks like I don't really have another choice. Okay then, just let me get ready and I'll be on my way," was Lyn's reply.

"Hiro, I'm sorry, but you heard what they said," Lyn then asked Hiro, "This changes everything. What will you do?"

Hiro then looked at her and said, "I'll go with you. It's not like I have much to do now anyways. I could always use a good practice on my strategizing skills."

Lyn looked overjoyed. "Really? You'll come with me? Your company and advice will be much appreciated!" Lyn exclaimed as Hiro nodded.

"But first...CAN WE GET TO THE BLOODY ELIMINE-FORSAKEN HEALER'S ALREADY!" yelled a rather annoyed Hiro. Lyn laughed at this comment. Then Lyn walked, the knights rode, and Hiro hopped towards the healer. "Elimine, my leg is KILLING me."

**

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And here's the first chapter of Lyn's Tale**


	6. Lyn 2: Sword of Spirits

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem and whatever, I only own my characters.

Yadda yadda yadda

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The Tacticians' Wish**

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Lyn's Chapter 2: Sword of Spirits**

Our little band of warriors recently left Bulgar and headed for Castle Caelin to confront Lord Lundgren. Near the road, there lies an ancient temple, which is sacred to the people of Sacae. Sacaeans usually pray here for a blessing before beginning a long journey. Lyn asked the knights if they could stop here for some time so she and Hiro could pray, and because they are Sacaeans, they believe that this myth is true. So onwards towards the temple they headed.

"Shut up! I don't care about your religious customs and whatnot! Just give me the sword and we'll be done here!" shouted a rather angry mercenary at an old priest.

"Threaten me as you will, but I'll not give up the Mani Katti. The Mani Katti is a sacred blade, under divine protection. It cannot be removed from its place of rest!" the priest held his ground.

"Foolish senile old coot! What good is a sword if you can't use it?" the confused mercenary asked.

"Use it? In combat? Sacrilege!" exclaimed the old priest, now trembling in fear at the mercenary's rage.

"Sacrilege THIS!" the mercenary shoved the old man away.

"My brittle old man hip..." the priest complained.

"I AM GLASS! THE GODS FEAR MY NAME! My swordplay is peerless! And if I want this sword, then this sword I shall have!" He walked up to the altar and took the sword. He looked at it, awestruck at the greatness of its figure. 'This is it! It's more magnificent than I'd imagined! This sword was made for a swordsman of my skill. Eh? What's this? I can't... draw the sword... from it's scabbard?' "EERRGHHHH!" He tried his hardest to pull the sword out, but it never came out. He tried so hard he looked constipated and his face turned a dark purple color.

"The spirits of the blade have judged you. You have been found wanting. They have rejected you," said the old man. Glass was enraged at this comment and yelled at him.

"What? Listen, you senile old fool, if you value your own life, you'll get out of my sight! Curses! Miserable spirits! I care nothing for you! I'll tear this altar down stone by stone!"

The old man, having at least some common sense, left before Glass completely lost his cool.

On the path towards the temple, the group of warriors was halted by a young woman...who was running away from the temple. "I beg your pardon, milady. Are you headed east? To the altar?" asked the woman.

"Yes, in fact we are," replied Lyn.

"Then you must hurry and help the priest there. I saw a large band of ruffians head in there not long ago. They seemed intent on stealing the altar's sacred sword!" the woman said, looking very worried.

"The Mani Katti... They're going to steal it? I cannot allow this to happen!" Lyn was shocked. "Come on, everyone, we need to save it!"

Hiro stopped her. "Hold on. She said they were bandits. Our last encounter went well, but we suffered some heavy damaged." He gave Sain a cold look. "And we're almost out of vulneraries, because we didn't have any money to buy some back at Bulgar. We need to prepare for this. Bandits are usually brigands, meaning they'll mostly use axes. We would do well to have some ranged units, but since I've lost my magic tome, we lost that advantage. So we'll have to use other methods to take them down. Is there any place where we can prepare?"

Lyn nodded, "You're right. There are some homes to the south of us. Let's ask them for some information and their aid."

Lyn headed towards a nearby house. "Hello? Is anyone inside? We want to help the priest of the altar get rid of some ruffians!"

A woman opened the door. "Say, aren't you the... Oh! You're going to help the priest! Well, perhaps you could benefit from something I saw earlier... The bandits may have the main entrance guarded. However, one of the altar's walls is cracked and in dire need of repair. You might be able to create another entrance by breaking that section with your weapons. We're all counting on you!"

Lyn thanked the woman for her advice.

Sain then headed for the next closest house. "Hello? We're a band of warriors that are going to take down the ruffians at the altar. Can you give us any tips?"

An old man opened the door. "There are more bandits coming down from the mountain area. You would do well to avoid fighting there, as it's hard to get a good stance with the footing there. Oh? You're on horseback. I suggest that you completely forget the idea of even going there as it's impossible for a horse to go up the steep hill." Sain thanked him for the advice and told Hiro.

Kent went to another nearby house and asked the woman who was fearfully looking out the window. "Do you know much about the sword held at the altar? It's called the Mani Katti, blessed by the spirits. According to the priest,the Mani Katti is waiting for its rightful owner to appear. It's so odd, don't you think? The idea that a sword can choose who will wield it?" Kent agreed, and walked back towards the group.

Then suddenly, a few bandits came out of the nearby forest area and attacked. The group, not expecting this assault, took heavy damage from a few axe attacks and retreated. "Let's go to that nearby abandoned fortress! We'll stock up on some supplies and recover!" Then they closed the fortress gates. The bandits were trying to thump them out of it. The group finished their vulneraries, then waited.

When the bandits finally broke through, "CHARGE!" yelled the cavaliers, who sliced off their chasers' heads with a few well placed strikes. In a short time, the ambushers were wiped out.

"Wow, Sain, you're actually competent," Hiro remarked.

They finally reached the wall the peasant told them they could break. Kent examined it. "Hmm... this wall IS in poor shape, but it's still too strong. We cavaliers are strong enough, but the iron weapons we have are too weak for this, and you myrmidons aren't strong enough to break it. Odin, this is your job."

Odin then rode up to the wall, and unsheathed his black sword, which shone brightly. He then chanted a spell, and while he did that, Hiro looked amazed that it was gathering what looked like spirits into the blade. He also noticed that no one else could see that, as they didn't look as amazed. They must have only seen the purple energy gathering around the blade. Odin whispered, 'Spirit Break.' Then he swung his sword towards the wall, releasing the purple energy in a giant ball of electricity, which exploded on contact with the wall, and broke it down.

"...wow."

Glass heard the giant explosion, and told his men to check up on it. To his surprise, he heard screams that sounded like they came from his men. Worried, he told the rest of his men to stay there with him and wait for the intruders to come.

The group finally arrived at the altar. Glass spotted them and noticed that they were small in number. "They're only 5 people! GO GET THEM!" With that his bandits charged at the group.

"They're coming! All right, Lyn and I will head for the leader, who obviously is the mercenary. You cavaliers hold off the bandits, but try not to get overwhelmed. Take 2 each, keep them separated, and we'll take care of the rest on our way," explained Hiro.

Then he and Lyn bolted through. The cavaliers herded off the bandits to the side. Sain stabbed through one bandit with his iron lance, and then proceeded to kill the next one. Kent sliced off another bandit's head, and Odin impaled his sword on another bandit. In an amazing feat of strength, he swung his sword so that the bandit on his sword flew off into another bandit, who in turn was hit with the corpse, and landed on Sain's lance. But the bandits soon got smarter and somehow managed to corner the knights in a small group. "Damn it! I hope Hiro and Lyn are doing better than we are!" said Odin as he was hit hard by a flying Hand Axe, and was slammed off his horse and into a nearby wall.

The lord and myrmidon finally reached the big boss. Glass laughed at them and said, "Who do you think you are? What chance do you think you have against me?" Glass lunged at the two. They easily dodged his vertical strike, and both immediately went into a Sacaean swordsman style offensive stance.

Glass swung his sword at Hiro, who tried to parry it. However, Hiro miscalculated the mercenary's strength, and went flying 2 feet, but soon recovered. 'He's strong,' Hiro thought. Glass then lunged at Lyn while Hiro was recovering. Lyn rolled to the side, and then stood up. Glass then tried to strike her hard again, but Lyn cart wheeled to his right side. Behind her was Hiro, who swung his sword down on Glass's horizontal swing. (Note: Think Soul Calibur, vertical strikes beat horizontal) Glass was surprised by their teamwork, as his sword is now in a bad position.

Hiro then body checked him and sent Glass fumbling backwards, and then he returned to his stance. Glass recovered, and took the offensive again. The Sacaeans rolled backwards and swung low. Glass jumped to avoid the strike. He then kicked at Lyn. Lyn wasn't expecting it, so she put up her sword to block it, and was sent flying backwards a few feet, stunned for a moment.

"Lyn!" Hiro called to her. Glass then kicked him too, but he stood his ground, but during the time it took him to recover, Glass went towards Lyn, and tried a strong strike. Lyn barely avoided it, but rolled into one of Glass's kicks. When she got up, hurt, Hiro finally was able to reach the two. However, Glass punched Lyn in the gut, and she choked out blood, and fell. He was about to finish her off when Hiro chopped his left arm off.

"GAH!" Glass screamed, and swung at Lyn with full force with his other arm.

"LYN!" Knowing that he couldn't get her out of there in time, Hiro jumped in front of the blade with his Muramasa out in front of him to take the force of the blow for Lyn. He was sent flying towards a nearby wall. The back of his head hit the wall, and he was out cold.

"...Hiro?" Lyn finally awoke. He saw Glass panting, and readied his sword to impale Hiro's head. Lyn got up. 'I can't let the bandit kill him!' Lyn focused her mind. She focused on her sword training, and as she did, a wind grew around her, and it grew fierce. Glass noticed it. "Wha...?" he said as he turned around towards the source of the wind. He saw Lyn, with wind energy gathered up around her. Then Lyn went into an attacking stance, but did not attack right away. Instead, she made 2 copies of herself, then she and the 2 copies dashed at Glass, and then disappeared. Glass took out his sword in front of him, fearing for what might come next. "DELTA EAGLE!" Lyn and her silhouettes struck glass hard in the front and in the sides.

Glass flew backwards towards the wall, but after bouncing off of the wall, he recovered and rolled towards Lyn. What Glass didn't notice, however, was that a few pieces of wall that fell down from his crash awakened Hiro, who was right under him when he crashed. Glass then ran towards Lyn. Lyn ran towards him as well, but what she did next he didn't expect. She jumped and did dropkick towards his chest, which sent him flying...into a Muramasa; he was impaled in the gut from behind. Hero then twisted his sword, and swung it upwards to get Glass off the blade, and cutting the top half of Glass's body in half. Then he brushed his thumb against his nose. "Good work, Lyn. Let's go help the cavaliers." Lyn looked at him in awe and a slightly dreamy look.

'He jumped in front of the bandit to protect me,' she thought. 'How sweet.'

It turned out that the cavaliers managed to get out of the corner and were able to kill the rest of the bandits. "Good job guys. Oh look. It seems that the priest finally returned from his hiding spot," said Hiro as he congratulated the cavaliers.

"Your clothes...sir, you are from the fallen Sargus tribe, and you, milady, are from the Lorca tribe, am I correct?" the priest asked them. Both nodded, and Lyn asked him to know if he was okay. "Thank you, I am unscathed. I must thank you deeply for your aid. As you can see, the Mani Katti is now safe."

Both warriors let out a sigh of relief. And Kent said, "thank Elimine."

"I have sealed the sword safely away. Until I remove my spell, the sword cannot be drawn. Now, as a token of my gratitude, I shall allow you to lay hands upon the Mani Katti. Touch the blade's pattern, and pray for a safe journey," said the priest.

"Thank you so much!" said Lyn. However, as she touched the sword, it started glowing. "Hey! Wh...What's going on?" Lyn looked worried.

"Ah. Hm... It's the power of the spirits. Lyn, they have looked into your soul, and they call out to you," said the priest.

"Say what?" Hiro was confused at his statement.

"You, dear lady, are its rightful owner. You are to wield the Mani Katti."

Lyn's mouth was agape. "I...I couldn't..."she stammered.

"It is the sword's wish. If you require proof, draw it from its sheath," said the priest to encourage her to take it. Lyn then drew the sword effortlessly.

"Um...It came out easily..."

"I never dared to hope that I might meet the wielder of the Mani Katti in my life. I am indeed fortunate to see your sword reach your hands," said the priest.

"My sword?" asked Lyn.

"It is time for you to go, Lyn. You face a great many ordeals. Grip this sword, and meet your destiny head-on," said the priest, as he walked away, leaving Lyn to stand in wonder at her new weapon.

"Amazing!" exclaimed Sain as Lyn showed the sword to everyone.

"This is all so unbelievable. Perhaps the most famous sword in all of Sacae... in my hand," said Lyn, still surprised that the sword chose her to be its owner.

"It's not so strange. In fact, many legends tell similar tales... Special blades all over the land call out to their proper owners. And yet, when I saw you draw that blade, Lyndis... I felt something extraordinary. That sword was waiting for you. You were meant to draw it," said Kent. Hiro and Odin looked at their swords.

'Mitsuna...'Hiro thought.

'Anna...' Odin thought. Lyn blushed at Kent's comment.

"Oh, stop it, it's nothing special."

'Yeah, nothing special about it...'thought Hiro.

"Think of it this way: Some weapons feel more comfortable in your hand, right? Well, the Mani Katti itself feels very comfortable with you. Does this make it any easier for you to accept? It doesn't appear that either of us can use it." Sain said to calm her down.

"That's right," said Odin. "Apparently, in the case of my sword, it feels light as a feather in my hands, but to the strongest man in the Castle this weighs about twice as much as a horse!"

Hiro nodded in agreement, and said, "It's the same case with my sword."

Lyn was finally happy to hear that her friends supported her. "It... does feel right in my hand. A blade that only I can wield. That seems reasonable enough. I can understand that. Look at it, Hiro. This is the Mani Katti. This is... my sword. I must care for it well."

"It looks...so innocent and tranquil," Hiro said. "Must be the years without any use."

Meanwhile, at Castle Caelin:

"What? Madelyn's daughter is still alive?" exclaimed a purple armored general.

A soldier replied, "Yes, Lord Lundgren. She's currently traveling with Kent, Sain, and Odin, as well as another Sacaean. What are your orders, sir? If we let them be..."

Lundgren scoffed at the soldier's statement. "Bah! I've heard that northern Bern is full of bandits. She's just a girl. She'll not survive her journey here. I'm more concerned with my older brother. His life must be ended quickly. The poison... There must be no blunders."

The soldier replied, "Yes, milord. The marquess suspects nothing and continues to drink it. His death due to 'sudden illness,' is not too far off." He then left the room.

Lundgren cackled like a witch on crack, "Heh heh heh. Soon, soon Caelin will be MINE!" He said as he cackled maniacally. Cue in evil laughter right after that.

At camp later that night:

Odin walked away from the group to a tree to think about his past. He sat near a majestic tree. He then pulled out his necklace, with the obsidian in the middle, and fiddled it around his fingers. He thought back to the time way back then when he was not Odin, the mighty warrior from Caelin, but merely Lazarus the stable hand...

It was 5 years ago. He was only 15. He was an assistant stable hand in the continent of Beltharus. He worked for his father, a famous knight of the House of John. Life was perfect, and it was even better when he met Anna, the daughter of the lord of the castle.

'Anna...'he thought. Now, the Continent of Beltharus was full of forests and cliffs. There were a lot of savage beasts outside. Lazarus and Anna, the best of friends, or maybe something more, walked to their favorite cliff to talk, as they have been doing for the last 2 years. Lazarus was very happy as it was his birthday that day. He just received a birthday present from his father. It was a golden necklace with obsidian placed right in the middle. He wanted to show it to Anna to impress her. Indeed she was. They were having a little romantic moment, and were about to have their first kiss.

However, something went wrong that moment. As their lips almost met, they heard a loud growling. They turned around to see a hungry wolf. Both children were scared; they backed off towards the edge of the cliff. Then it lunged at the two. Anna rolled to one side and Lazarus to another. They knew they were only delaying the inevitable; they were defenseless and without weapons right now. The wolf attacked Anna. She avoided the lunge, but the wolf's fangs sliced some skin off of her arm. She cried out in pain. It got ready for another lunge. Lazarus couldn't look.

Then time stopped, and a voice boomed out to him, "COWARD! What do you expect to accomplish with this attitude! It is clear in your mind that you love her and want to protect her, but too much self doubt has clouded your judgment! You must fight back! Do what you can although the odds are against you!" Then time returned. And somehow, in his right hand, a black bladed sword with a golden hilt appeared. A voice rang through his head, "Do what you can although the odds are against you! You must use the Zantetsuken to be able to succeed in the most impossible situations!"

'Zantetsuken,' he thought. Then his blade cackled with electricity. He couldn't control what he did next. Anna dodged the wolf's lunge, but she moved towards the edge of the cliff. The wolf chased her down there. Then not on purpose, Lazarus swung his sword towards the ground. It released a purple beam of electricity on the ground towards the wolf, and it exploded on contact. Unfortunately for Anna, the explosion blew off the edge of the cliff. Anna fell into the river below. Lazarus looked over the new edge of the cliff and cried.

"ANNAAA!" He yelled. "No..."

A few days later, the people of the House of John found her body at the edge of a nearby river. Lazarus was relieved. "Anna," he said to her, "I'm glad you're all right...It's all my fault..." Anna looked incredibly puzzled.

"Who are you?" she asked him.

"This isn't funny Anna," said Lazarus, awestruck that she couldn't remember him. He then elaborated the events of the day the wolf attacked. Anna couldn't remember anything except her own name.

The lord of the castle was angry at Lazarus, because it was his attack that made her fall off the cliff. His father disowned him. All his friends left him, and Anna said this to him... "Look, I don't know who you are. But I think you are giving my parents grief over my...amnesia. I'm sorry...but could you please leave?"

Those words struck him deeply, like a rapier through the heart. 'Anna...' A few days later, Lazarus left towards the continent of Elibe. There he trained as a knight at the house of Caelin. He discarded his old name and went with a new alias: Odin; to forget any connections he had to his old home, as all he had were painful memories from that place. He easily became friends with Sain and Kent there, and the rest of the story is history. As he finished his recollection, a tear slid down his face.

Back at camp:

"Hiro, can I talk to you for a second?" Lyn asked the myrmidon, who was sitting on a log by the fire, thinking about something. Kent and Sain were already asleep. "...Oh? Uh...sure...sorry, just had something on my mind..."mumbled Hiro.

They walked and sat down on the ground, resting their backs on a tree. "...Hiro?" Lyn asked.

"Yeah?"

"Um...I want to thank you for saving me today. I would have died back there if not for you."

"No problem," said the myrmidon lazily. Lyn moved closer and sat right beside him. Hiro, however, was too tired and sleepy to notice. They didn't talk for a while. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" asked Hiro, suddenly breaking the silence, which made Lyn jump.

"I...want to know your story..."she answered, but sounded a little unsure if she should have said it or not.

"Hmm." Hiro then told her everything from the beginning. As Hiro continued, Lyn felt a pang in her heart; she doesn't know what it was, but she felt it whenever Hiro mentioned Mitsuna. She had tears sliding down her face, but she didn't notice it. As Hiro finished, he sighed, and looked at Lyn. "Are you okay? You're crying," he asked Lyn with a worried look on his face. "It's a sad story I know, but your reaction to it is really bad...something else must be on your mind for my story to have such an effect."

Lyn coughed and hiccupped, while trying to hold back the rest of her tears.

"Let it go Lyn. Let it all flow out. I don't know what's bothering you, but I hope the issue resolves itself soon," said Hiro as he tried to comfort her. He took out a piece of cloth from his right pocket. "Use this to wipe your tears off. You can give it to me in the morning. I'm going to go to sleep now." Lyn thanked him, and Hiro walked back to camp to sleep.

'What is this that I'm feeling,' the girl thought. 'Why does it hurt to know that he already has a lover? No. I'm crying because his story is sad. That's it...I hope.'

Odin finally returned to camp. He saw that Lyn was asleep under the tree. He also saw the mark of tears on her face. He pitied her, but was mesmerized at her form at the same time. She looked beautiful asleep; a face so innocent, her position so elegant, her body so... 'No,' he thought, as he got a nosebleed. 'I'm a knight of Caelin. I will soon be under her service, I cannot think of such thoughts.' Then he looked at her again. Then someone tapped his shoulder.

"About time you returned to camp," the tactician said to him.

"Yeah...just a little recollection about the past."

"You have a tragic method to your madness as well?"

"Yeah...What's your story?" The two sacred sword wielders then told each other their stories.

Odin looked at Hiro with a shocked expression on his face. "You told her THAT?" Hiro was astonished at that question. "Man, you are dense!" Odin said. "Haven't you seen the way she looks at you? Her eyes were dreamy! She totally wants to come on to you, my friend, but you told her THAT!"

"I've inherited Sacaean values; I can't lie," replied Hiro to his friend's outburst. "Anyways, don't you have that same look when you look at Lyndis? Don't think I haven't noticed it." It was Odin's turn to be shocked. He looked at Hiro.

"No wonder you're a tactician. You've got a good eye for detail."

"Thank you...(few seconds of silence)...So when will you ask her out?" asked Hiro.

"Huh? Impossible! I'm soon to be one of the knights under her service, and I shouldn't even think of this outcome!" said Odin, shocked that Hiro would ask that question, although he knew it was going to come someday, just not from Hiro. "Besides, she likes you doesn't she?"

"True," Hiro replied. "But as you know, I'm already taken. You have a chance, my friend, and I suggest that you take it." With that he slept by the campfire.

'I guess so...' thought Odin. He looked at Lyn one last time. 'Good night, Lyndis.'

End Lyn's tale chapter 2

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R&R ppl!**


	7. Lyn 3: Band of Mercenaries

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever, just my original characters

Thanks for the reviews guys, they be awesome for the ego.

I want to try a new format. Before the story begins, I'll probably put in some trivia. After the chapter, most of the time there will be a scene at camp, and on some updates, camp scenes only. These scenes will be mostly focused on the many characters' background stories, as well as probably some twisted pairings that I have in my head right now. Please tell me what you guys think of it.

The main character, the myrmidon Hiro, I based on...um...nothing actually, he just came up out of nowhere, but his character design was like a combination of Karel and Shinn Asuka (GSEED DESTINY), and his hair looks like Cloud Strife's, only in a very dark black color. Same with Mitsuna; she just came out of nowhere, but her clothing when she was grown up looks almost exactly like Eirika's (FE:SS), just completely in different shades of red. Kyo's looks were based on Ephraim (Eirika's brother), being the most logical choice as Mitsuna was based on Eirika, and Kyo is Mitsuna's brother. His personality has a little bit of Urashima Keitaro (Love Hina) and...some other guy I can't remember, but he's perverted. Odin's past has elements from Locke(FF VI in Jap)'s, and that's pretty much it for the main characters. Also, if you already noticed, the 4 sacred swords have elements that correspond with the 4 non magic affiliated affinities in FE: Fire, Water, Wind, and Lightning. You probably already know who has which element.

New Stats:

Odin: Cavalier: Weapon: Zantetsuken: Mounted

Hilda: Priestess/T: Weapon: Mend Staff, Recover staff: Healing only

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THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

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Lyn's Tale, Chapter 3: Band of Mercenaries**

Meanwhile, Mitsuna and Hilda finally reached the House of Pherae. They knocked on the castle gates. "Hello, we're the tacticians you hired..." said Hilda. The person who opened the gate ushered them in, and then called his friends.

"Well, we weren't expecting you to be so lovely...are you ONLY tacticians? Other than doing whatever you do, do you perform other services? (Emphasis on 'other')"

Hilda immediately fumed... and a second later, the person who said it was on the ground clutching his crotch.

Mitsuna giggled, and tried to calm her friend down, "Um...Hilda, you should try to control your temper...we're hired to help them, not kill them..." and stopped when she saw her companion's flaming eyes. By the way, Hilda is a priestess.

"Damn, that was a long trip," said Kyo as his group arrived at the house of Ostia. He landed in front of the castle gates. He yelled towards the gatekeeper. "I am Prince Kyoshiro Yamato of Castle Nagasaki, from the continent of Chija! I wish to have an audience with the master of this castle!"

He was granted permission. Noah and Brilliante were then put in the stables, and the castle servants led them to the throne room. A man, looking like he's in his early 30's, greeted Kyo's group.

"Welcome? What can I do for you, prince Yamato? I am Lord Uther, and I believe you have something you want to discuss." Kyo told him his story.

"I'm afraid I can't spare any of my men right now, due to some...issues. However, I will accept your offer and hire you and your companions. I will, however, help you when my forces are available for you to use." Kyo thanked him, and he and his group were led to their newly assigned rooms. "Well, it's been a long day, milord," said Fiaa as she yawned, looking bedraggled.

"Well then, good night, Fiaa," said Kyo as he and Eiji headed to their rooms.

Fiaa then walked off to the women's quarters. 'I sure could use a bath...'

The next day, Fiaa went out to the market. She had some money to spend after her last mission, and she needed a change of wardrobe. Her armor was in very bad shape and her clothes had rips everywhere. After about an hour of shopping, she looked like a completely different person. Her long green hair, which was in a ponytail before, is now let loose and flows freely with the wind. She has a small black ribbon tied to the back of her head. She bought a new white shirt to replace her last one, with a light green breastplate on top of it, and a lime green short skirt. She replaced her old black stockings with new pine colored ones, and she had better quality black boots to replace her old ones.

As she was walking back towards the castle, she crashed into Kyo, who was also shopping for new armor to replace his puke-covered ones. Fiaa just saw Kyo and was running towards him to greet him, when some idiot decides to throw his banana on the ground, coincidentally right in front of Kyo. Kyo didn't see it, and stepped on it with the front of his left foot, on the side away from his front, therefore making him fall forward. Fiaa was almost right beside him now, and stopped when he saw him start to fall. Kyo fell into her. The result? Fiaa was sitting on the ground, with Kyo's head right between her thighs and his face under Fiaa's skirt and on her panties, right at that single spot where people do dirty stuff. He was about to apologize, but it came out as a muffled sound. 'Mm..sweet,' he thought, as his tongue came out to check out what was muffling his talking.

When Fiaa smacked the back of his head, he finally realized what he just tasted. He then immediately got up. "GWA! FIAA! OHMYGODIMSOSORRYPLEASEDONTKILLME!" was what came out of Kyo's mouth when he just got up, and immediately crouched into a fetal position. The people that saw what happened sweat dropped, and turned around to mind their own businesses and to pretend that they saw nothing, leaving the poor lord to get pummeled by the blunt end of the peg knight's lance and various submission moves. After that, Fiaa left in a huff, and Kyo's twitching body just lay there until sunset. 'I can't feel my arm, my legs, and...what else did she pull...well, IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!...I only need to recover and get up now...' thought Kyo.

After having packed up, the group of warriors left towards castle Caelin. Sain commented at the great weather. "The sun is shining upon us today; and there seems to be no sign of any rain; we can proceed much farther than expected today if we leave now!"

Hiro asked Lyn. "Well, if we want to do that, we can't afford to run into any more bandits today." Lyn had a worried look on her face.

"Well, if we try our hardest to remain unseen, it's possible. But it will be difficult since the bandits from the Bern and Sacae mountain range usually come down here. We should really be careful, especially of the Taliver bandits, one of the worst groups that exist."

They moved onwards, and soon came after the ruins of a village.

"Whoa," commented Hiro, "it's...this is horrible. Doesn't their marquess do anything to help them?"

Lyn looked down at the ground, a single tear dripping out of her eye. "Across the Taliver Mountain, there is a group of bandits that are named just like the mountain. They are ruthless and cruel, and no marquess would dare hold any power here in fear of getting robbed. My...village was on the other side of the mountain...that night; it only took them one night, to raid my village and kill almost everyone...a small number of people survived, and I was one of them...but my parents did not..." and Lyn broke into small sobs.

Odin held her in a comforting hug. "Lyndis...we'll get them for you." The other cavaliers looked at him, but he gave them a glare that simply said 'shut up or I'll castrate you.' And so they did. Hiro stayed silent. He can relate with Lyndis; his own village was also attacked by bandits, and he lost his parents that night as well.

"You'll...you'll help me, everyone?..." Lyn asked them. Hiro nodded and gave Kent and Sain the same look that Odin gave them earlier, only this time they nodded.

"Of course, milady," said Odin as he held her tighter. Lyn hugged him closely as well, and Odin blushed. While Lyn was sobbing into Odin's chest and the other cavaliers were looking elsewhere, Hiro gave the cavalier a thumbs-up sign, and Odin nodded in thanks.

Here we see Florina again. She's a young Pegasus knight, with long and somewhat curly orchid colored hair, and wearing black stockings and brown boots, with a light blue and purple colored armor, as well as a short white skirt. "Now, the map says that...oh dear..." said Florina, who was trying to find Lyn. She was flying near a village that is close to Lyn's location, when she encountered the most dreaded enemy of aerial units: turbulence. She shrieked, and plummeted towards the village, and landed hard on something soft. "OW!" it said. She and Huey, her Pegasus, immediately got off the object.

The object turned out to be a large man with roughened features, and he didn't look happy. "Grrr...foolish...oh? What do we have here?"

"I'm sorry I crashed into you, sir..." said Florina shyly for about the thousandth time.

"You think apologizing is going to get you out of here?" said the enraged man. Then the man's friend arrived. "She's quite a catch, eh? The boss will reward us big time for this," he said.

"Yeah, she roughed me up a bit. This is what she deserves," replied the first man, laughing. Florina looked really scared now, and stuttered.

"What do we do with this?" said the second man as he pointed at Huey.

"Please! Don't touch her!" shouted Florina, "Do what you will with me...just...let her go!" She sounded desperate.

"She must be kidding!" said the first man. "Pegasi are only found in Ilia on this continent, and you think we'll just let this one go? Foolish girl, we're taking it with us. It'll fetch an even bigger penny than the girl, and we can spend the money with a night at the club with this little beauty," said the second man, as he slapped the peg knight's behind.

"Hm? What's this?" said Kent as he noticed the commotion.

"Be on your guard everyone. Those men look dangerous." Hiro whispered something to Odin, and the 2 walked off into the shadows. "Hey...isn't that a Pegasus? Could it be...Florina?" called Lyn as she noticed a Pegasus at the location of the commotion. "Lyn!" replied Florina as she noticed her caller.

"You are...acquaintances?" asked Kent.

"She's my friend. This is Florina, a pegasus knight in trainig from Ilia. She's a little uncomfortable around men. Tell me, Florina. What happened here?" asked Lyn as she answered Kent's question.

"Well, I heard that you left, so I came looking for you, and reached this village recently. And, um...well, I sort of hit turbulence...and we landed on this man," answered Florina, pointing towards the first bandit, and whispered to Lyn, "They want to take me and Huey to their boss and sell us..." she finished, sounding really scared.

"AHA!" said the first bandit, "She admits it! She admits her fault, and now she must pay the price!"

Lyn asked Florina, "Did you apologize to them?"

Florina nodded vigorously, "Yes I did, many times over, but they wouldn't listen," and she cried.

"There, there, don't cry. It's going to be all right..." said Lyn, trying to comfort her. Then she looked towards the bandits, and said, "Look, she said she was sorry and obviously meant it, and you don't seem to be injured at all. Can you just let it go and let us through?"

The bandits shook their heads. "Not a chance in hell! Change of plans; you girls are going with us, by force if need be!"

The second bandit yelled for his friends, "COME ON OUT, BOYS! The men are fair game, but don't put a scratch on the ladies!" Then they ran towards their group so they wouldn't be slaughtered by the Cavaliers and Lyn, only to run into Hiro and Odin, who released a spirit break, electrocuting one of the bandits. The other was decapitated by a 180 degrees backslash from Hiro.

A nearby bandit yelled, "How dare you fight against the might of the Ganelon bandits! You must now die, foolish little men!" Then he and another bandit charged towards the 2. Hiro dashed in towards an unsuspecting bandit, did a low slash, cutting the bandit's legs off, then jumped up and impaled him in the heart. Odin parried an axe swing with his sword so that he was now behind the bandit kicked his opponent's back, and launched a 'Spirit Break' towards his target, electrocuting him.

"Um...hello...who's this?" asked Florina as she and Lyn walked towards Hiro.

"Oh, he's our tactician, Hiro. He's not a bad swordsman himself." Florina greeted Hiro, and he greeted her back.

"Damn. These villages don't have a large distance apart between them; the bandits will easily take them all down in a short time," said Hiro, as he sat behind Florina on Huey to scan the area from air. "Take us down, Florina. We need to get the cavaliers to warn the villagers."

Lyn walked towards a nearby village to warn the villagers of the bandits nearby. However, she saw that the gates were closed. "Is anyone there?" she called.

A voice replied from the inside, "Leave us alone you thugs! Leave us; we've no more gold for you!"

"No wait, please! We're not bandits! We want to help you!" replied Lyn.

A different voice said, "Hold on. Stay inside; I'll go check it out." A young man with an aquamarine shirt, brown boots and beige pants walked outside, bow at the ready, only to be struck in awe at the vision of loveliness that stood before him "gaga..." he stuttered.

Lyn noticed that he was looking at her funny. The man snapped out of his trance. "Um...so who are you?" he asked her.

"My name is Lyn. My colleagues and I are just traveling through here. We saw some bandits about. We're going to deal with them, but... We need you to go and warn the villagers," she replied, and walked away.

"Hey! Wait! The name's Wil. I'm a traveler of sorts, too. Listen, these villagers have been kind to me. Mind if I fight with you?" asked the young archer.

Lyn looked back and smiled at him. "Sure! The more the merrier! And we need all the help we can get!"

Lyn walked back to camp and informed Hiro of their newly acquired comrade. Then she heard a scream. She rushed towards Florina, who was cowering and shaking in her boots. "Um...Lyn...there's an archer here, what should I do?" she asked her older companion, and pointed at Wil.

"Oh, that's Wil," explained Lyn. Then Wil walked towards the two girls, and looked at the terrified Florina, puzzled.

"Hey! Are you one of Lyn's friends?" asked Wil, but Florina stayed silenced in fear. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" he asked her again.

Lyn answered for her friend. "Um...I'm sorry Wil. Florina's timid around men, and...well...you've got a bow..." Will looked at his bow on his back, and replied.

"Oh, then you must be a Pegasus knight! I'm not offended, and I understand your fear of bows."

Florina stammered, "I'm sorry...looking at a bow...just scares...me...ever so much..."

Wil replied, "Hey, it's all right, everyone must be scared of something, right? You just happen to be scared of archers, and not so surprisingly as well, men."

"Um...thanks..."said Florina, a little bit relieved.

'Whew. Too bad she's scared of men. She's a real beauty,' thought Wil.

As Hiro and the cavaliers easily killed most of the bandits, Lyn, Florina, and Wil went towards the leader. Lyn asked the leader, "Hold on! I want to ask you something...Are you with the Taliver Bandits?"

"Those greedy bastards? No! We are the Ganelon bandits; we're nothing like those monsters! We don't harm women, for one thing. After all, why kill what you can sell?" replied the bandit.

"Then if you are not of the Taliver bandits, there's no reason for you to throw your life away here! I advise you that you turn tail and run now."

The bandit became enraged at her comment, then looked at Florina. "So you've finally decided to come with us, eh?" he asked the peg knight.

"Um...well..." she replied, "can we just stop fighting now?"

The bandit became even more enraged. "WHAT! AFTER YOU MADE ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL! NOT A CHANCE IN HELL!" His yelling scared Florina so much, she almost fell off her steed. Hiro finally reached the scene, and called for Wil to help the cavaliers. This little passage was unnoticed by the bandit. "You're going to go back with us, girl, with force if necessary! I promise you that! If you don't want to get hurt, just give yourself up now!"

Kent ran his sword through another bandit. "Behind you, Kent!" warned Odin, as he decapitated another bandit with his sword while riding by. Kent turned around, only to see that Sain had already impaled the bandit. Sain threw the corpse on his lance at another bandit, and ran towards another group, impaling 3 with his lance at once. Kent and Odin rode along the little group's sides and cut off the bandits' heads. Kent was about to get struck on the back of his head by a jumping bandit, but Wil shot that one down in midair. Wil then strafed around another little group, with Odin on the other side, while circling the group and decapitating bandits on his way, cutting the bandits off by circling around them.

"RAAAH!" yelled the bandit leader as he charged and jumped towards Florina. Florina simply tugged on Huey's reins to lift off the ground. The bandit fell face first on the ground, and slid down, with mud on his face, now an eggplant purple.

"Sorry!" apologized Florina.

Hiro asked him, "Look, you're obviously outmatched and outnumbered. I suggest you leave now if you want to live."

"Grr...NEVER!" He then charged at Hiro.

Hiro sidestepped, and slashed the bandit in the back. Lyn then did a flying kick towards the bandit's side. He then staggered and coughed, and went into an axe whirlwind. Both swords fighters merely ducked to avoid it.

"Grr...whoa..." said the bandit, a bit dizzy.

"FLORINA, NOW!" commanded Hiro. As the bandit recovered, the last thing he saw was a bright metal object coming towards his face, and then, oblivion.

"Well, I'm glad that little skirmish is over with..." said Kent as the group met at the center of the battle area.

Florina looked at Lyn. "Lyn!"

"Florina, why did you follow me? Don't you know it's dangerous?" asked the young lord.

"Um...well, do you remember the knighting ceremony of Pegasus knights in Ilia?" asked the orchid haired girl in return.

"Oh, yes. You would have to join a band of mercenaries to further your training. Is that why you're here, Florina?"

"Um...yes, but I wanted to talk to you before I set out. I went to Sacae, and found out that you left with some strangers, so..."

Lyn looked at her, with a concerned look in her eyes. "Aw, you were worried about me? Thank you, but it's you who I should be worried about," said Lyn.

Florina looked puzzled. "Me?" she replied.

"Well, most mercenary groups are full of men, right? How will you cope with that, seeing that you're timid around men."

"I know, I know. It's just... I've always dreamt of being a pegasus knight. I imagined I would just... work it out. Somehow. After today, I'm not so sure. Maybe I should just... give up," and with that Florina started crying.

"Florina, don't cry! There's no reason to give up your dream!" said Lyn, trying to comfort her friend. Then she noticed Sain walking up to her.

"Oh most beauteous Florina! Fear not, for I have the most brilliant plan!"

"Sain..." warned Kent.

"You should come with us! With the addition of Wil here, we're a fine group of soldiers, and freelance to boot!" suggested the flirting cavalier.

"Wait, did you just include me?" asked the bewildered archer.

"Of course! We were destined to meet here! It's fate! Come now, Lyndis's band of mercenaries is as good a training group as you will find anywhere!" said Sain, trying his hardest to make Florina join.

"Sain, this is no joking matter!" warned Kent.

"Um...Lyn? Mercenaries?" asked the timid girl.

"Oi...I can give you details later. This is all a bit rushed. However, Sain is right. Will you come with us, Florina?"

"Travel with you, Lyn! Really? I would be so...so happy!"

Sain then knelt beside her, took her hand, and kissed it. "Fantastic! Beauteous Florina! I am a knight of Caelin. My name is Sain..."

Florina pulled her hand back and hid behind Lyn. "Eeek! Stay back! Don't get so close!"

"Ah, beautiful, yet so modest," and Sain continued trying to woo her.

Kent walked up to Lyn. "I beg your forgiveness, calling us mercenaries," he apologized for his companion.

"No, I approve. We can't leave Florina on her own. She requires special attention, though. Can I count on you?" asked Lyn.

"Of course, milady! All you need to do is ask!" replied the red armored knight.

Then Wil walked up to Lyn. "So...it's cool right? I can travel with you?"

"Of course, that is, if you want," replied Lyn.

"Great! Er...you see, someone recently stole my money, and I'm at a ...bit of a crossroads here. I would be honored to count myself as one of Lyndis' Legion!"

"Lyndis's Legion, huh. I like it," said Hiro as Lyn told him about it. "Let's go to the armory nearby. We could use some new weapons."

Back at Castle Ostia:

"Good heavens, milord, what happened!" asked Eiji as he walked by Kyo's twitching body (it's almost sunset). He helped Kyo up.

When Kyo could finally talk again, "...Fiaa...lime...green...panties..."

"...oh..."replied Eiji. "What did you do this time, sir?" he asked his master.

"Well, I tripped on a banana, fell forward into her...thing, and grabbed her hips while I fell, and we landed in a certain interesting position. And it was all an accident." Then Kyo licked his lips. "BUT IT WAS SOO WORTH IT!" Eiji sighed.

Fiaa looked out the window of her room. She thought about what happened today. 'That jerk! How could he do that! Sure, he saved my life, but HE INVADED ME!' But Fiaa's not the type to hold grudges, especially not after she just beat that person to almost an inch of his life. 'Maybe I was a little too hard on him. I...should probably go apologize for almost killing him.' She walked out of her room to find Kyo.

About 5 hours later: "Well, this feels a lot better now," said Kyo as he just walked out of the infirmary. "Well, Eiji, you go get some sleep. I'm gonna go get Noah and go out for a little ride around while looking at the stars." He left towards the stables.

After about 2 more hours of searching, Fiaa still hasn't found Kyo. 'Where could he be right now?' she thought. 'I'll look for him tomorrow...' She walked near one of the castle's windows, near the stable area, and noticed something flying outside as she walked there to get a breath a fresh air. 'Is that Noah?' she thought. It was hard to recognize a wyvern's features in the dark, as well as the rider's. But she spotted a small, yet still visible, green light that shone in the darkness. 'What's he doing out there at this time of night?' she thought. So she walked towards the stables, but rather sleepily.

Kyo, after having had his fun, went back to the stables, and failed to see a figure in the dark near the entrance. He docked Noah, and gave him some fish to get him to sleep so he wouldn't wake up the whole castle when he got hungry. When he finally walked towards the entrance, he found Fiaa, leaning beside the door, asleep. Kyo smiled, and poked her. No response; Fiaa mumbled something that he couldn't hear. So he picked her up, her back on one of his arms and her legs on his other arm. He brought her to her room and laid her on her bed. 'She looks so cute and...harmless,' he thought. Of course, after today's experience, he knew better. Then he walked back to his room. Fiaa, who finally noticed that she wasn't at the stables anymore, turned on her bed sleepily, just in time to see the lord's figure exit and close the door to her room.

'...Kyo...?' And she smiled.

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** END LYN'S TALE CHAPTER 3. R&R PPL!  
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	8. Lyn 4: In Occupation's Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and its peeps, only my characters

I'm gonna focus this chapter mostly on my own characters, because I don't know much about Dorcas and don't use him that much. I prefer using Dart and Bartre as my axe users.

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THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

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Lyn's Tale Chapter 4: In Occupation's Shadow**

It was late at night. Mitsuna just finished taking a shower, and went to her room to write a letter to her friends at the guild. When she closed the door to her room, however, a hand from behind her clasped her mouth. She struggled free of it and turned around, drawing out her sword to fight off the attacker.

"Long time no see, Mitsuna, was it?" asked the assassin, walking out of the shadows. His clothes were colored dark blue and black, and his face had a nasty scar on it. His blue eyes gave the girl a long piercing gaze.

"What do you want, Villa?" asked Mitsuna.

"Well, first to apologize for what happened at the guild. We didn't recognize you when my friends were going to rape you," was the assassin's reply. "But, I think you should apologize, too. Your friend apparently got 2 very valuable members caught. It's a shame really, Shiba and Pouten were very good soldiers."

"What else are you here for?" asked the girl in a cold tone.

"Well...I want you to drop your new identity, and embrace your old one and finish the job you were set out to do," was Villa's reply. "With the new laws of the Black Fang in place, we can't have our pretty little myrmidon act too late and fail, you know?" Mitsuna looked down at the ground, avoiding Villa's long gaze. "LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M SPEAKING TO YOU, WENCH!" shouted Villa, getting mad that the lower ranking Black Fang was not looking at him. He slapped her, and 2 lenses fell off Mitsuna's face. Mitsuna looked at him, but not with blue eyes, but with a piercing purple gaze that filled with hatred, rage, and sorrow. Villa panted from his outburst. "I suggest that you continue your mission now, if you want to keep your parents and yourself alive, Karla." He paused for a few seconds. "We also have a new mission for you. You are to kill this tactician; Lady Sonia thinks that he will be a threat to her plans. I've met him before, too, and he's a pretty good swordsman, almost matching my skill." He gave the girl a portrait of someone she knew too well. "You better not fail this one as well, wench" said Villa as he teleported away. Karla, no longer the lord Mitsuna with her disguise discarded by her superiors, cried.

'Father, Mother, I'm sorry...I'll keep looking for brother so he can help us get out of this mess alive,' cried Karla. She wondered why she even wanted to help her father at all. He was the one that sold the family to the assassin group. He was the one that kicked Karel out of the house at such a young age so he wouldn't have to spend money on the boy, and spend that money on booze. 'Things just keep getting worse. And now I have to kill...Hiro?' She sobbed hysterically on her bed. 'Hiro, why'd you have to be so STUPID to get in their way?'

After about an hour of crying, she finally recovered. She walked up, and changed into her myrmidon's clothes. She put on a silk white shirt, and put on a blue and purple Sacaean battle robe, with yellow threads lining the sides. The robe showed the slits of her finely shaped thighs, just like Lyn's. She then put on brown battle boots, and took out a rope from her satchel. She moved 2 locks of her hair so that they rested on the front side of her soldier rather than her back. She tied it to the windowsill, and slid down.

Hilda, who was still awake, looked out the window to catch a breath of fresh air. To her surprise, she saw a figure going down a rope from Mitsuna's room, which was right beside her's. It certainly looked like Mitsuna was going down the rope. Hilda then rushed out of her room to find her friend missing. She looked out the window, to see the figure run off into the distance.

Kyo finally woke up. He was worried about his adoptive sister. He thought back to the time when he was 11, 14 years ago when she was given to his family by a person cloaked in black. Kyo didn't think about it at the time, but after seeing that 2 people wearing the exact same cloak attacked him recently, he couldn't help but worry about Mitsuna. After all, what if they came back for her?

"So, yeah, I've figured out how to do it a few years back during training. All you have to do is focus all your magical energies into the sword, and figure out the command to make it work," said Odin, talking to Hiro. "This shouldn't be a problem for you since you're an accomplished mage."

"Ok, here goes nothing," said Hiro as he focused his magic onto his Muramasa. He could see spirits of fire and sparks come out from the blade, and gather around in a small tornado of energy around the blade. He then dashed towards his target, a tree, and disappeared. A slashing sound could be heard during that instant. He reappeared behind the tree. "Backdraft," he whispered, and the tree instantly burst into flames and exploded.

"Oh $h!T! Run for cover!" yelled Odin, as the 2 friends ran away from the place to avoid the debris falling down.

"Ok, so you've mastered close range attacks. Can you do ranged attacks, though?"

"I'll try," said Hiro, focusing his energy on the Muramasa again. He then swung his sword towards the ground and let it strike, and when it struck, he yelled, "ETHER FLARE!" and 4 giant sparks flew out of the ground where the sword struck it, and turned into fire darts, and headed towards another tree, and exploding on contact.

"Wow. Your magic is really powerful," commented Odin.

"Ok, so we've made it this far. I'm just hoping we don't run into any more of those Ganelon bandits," commented Wil. The group walked to an old fortress. "Hmm, great! This shall serve as tonight's bed."

"Great idea, I for one, wouldn't mind sleeping under a roof after yesterday's mosquito fiasco," commented Odin.

"This old abandoned fort? You're just kidding, right? Wil?" asked Sain.

"THERE'S NO ROOF!" exclaimed Odin as he walked inside, and slumped down. "The mosquitoes will have a party tonight!"

"Well, they wouldn't if SOMEONE didn't throw and rub most of the mosquito repellent all over their body last night, SAIN," said Hiro, giving the cavalier a death glare, "You know how hard it is to find the materials in a forest?"

"Oh, it'll be fine, boys. Who wants to be stuck inside anyways; I like to sleep where I could feel the wind blow," commented Lyn.

"That's because you took a third of the mosquito repellent," commented Hiro.

"I'll be fine as long I'm by Lyn's side," said Florina.

"And for your protection, your man-at-arms Sain will be right here by your side, ladies," said Sain. However, Kent told him that they would both be doing guard duty for the night. "Ah, alas..."

A woman in her early thirties walked towards the group. "Um, excuse me..." she called towards the group. "Who's there?" asked Lyn towards the voice.

"Um... forgive my intrusion, and I'm from a village not far from here..." she walked towards the group, limping, but then kneeled and clutched her leg. "Ah...ow..." she exclaimed in pain.

Lyn ran towards her. "Are you all right? Your leg..."

"I'm fine milady; it's a childhood sickness. I can't travel far on it, but it doesn't trouble me much," replied the woman.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Lyn asked the woman.

"I'm looking for my husband," she replied, "I heard he was in this area. He said he was going to raise money to have my leg mended. He left the village and hasn't returned. He's a kindhearted man, but I think he might be involved in something dangerous. I got so worried... Here's a sketch of him. It's a poor likeness at best, but... His name is Dorcas. Do you know of him?" The woman showed Lyn a portrait of Dorcas.

Lyn shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I've never seen or heard of him."

"Well, if you do see him tell him that Natalie is looking for him," asked Natalie.

Lyn nodded as her response, "I promise."

A group of bandits gathered around the fortress. "Hmm...So this is the group that defeated Migal..."said one of them.

"So they decided to spend the night here. Perfect. We wait for nightfall, then..."said his companion, but he was interrupted by the other.

"Fool! There are only a few of them, and some are women! If we attacked them at night, I'd be a laughingstock! Besides, we might hurt the women by mistake! I will not be so wasteful!" said the first bandit as he smacked his companion on the head.

"You're right, Carjiga! You're brilliant, boss!" praised the other bandit.

"We'll avenge Migal and get some pretty souvenirs to boot. Who knows, maybe I'll be a leader after all. Let's go! Spread out and encircle the place, you rogues! Let's finish this before it gets too dark to see!" called Carjiga to the rest of his goons.

"You! Your name's Dorcas, right?" asked Carjiga as he walked towards a large redhead, in a loose yellow shirt, wielding a Hand axe. Dorcas nodded in response. "You haven't done much since you joined us. If those weapons aren't just for show, today's the day to prove it. There's supposed to be women inside; I want you to capture them. Do that, and I'll increase your share of the take. If you want gold, you'll get the job done," instructed Carjiga.

Dorcas looked down sadly towards the ground, and thought, 'Women, huh? It would break Natalie's sweet heart to see me sink so low.'

"Lady Lyndis! Bandits have surrounded the fortress!" exclaimed Kent, running back inside.

"Persistent bunch, aren't they?" commented Sain.

"So what do we do, Hiro, do we get out there and finish them all off?" asked Odin.

"No. As you know, Natalie can't move, so we need to stay here to protect her. This puts us at a disadvantage. However, we know that these bandits won't hurt women unless necessary. I think they would want to capture Lyn, Florina, and Natalie, without being too rough with them. Therefore, I think they will leave at nightfall so they won't hurt the women by mistake. However, to protect Natalie, we'll have to cover all the holes in the fortress' defenses. The main entrance will be protected by the cavaliers. Florina and Wil, I want you to go to that place where the wall is cracked. Wil, I want you to fly up with Florina and snipe any enemy coming from there. Lyn and I will cover the eastern entrance. Everybody got it?" asked Hiro as he finished up his strategy.

Hiro and Lyn ran up to the eastern wall. As they reached it, an incoming Hand Axe was flying towards them. Hiro batted it away with his sword, but staggered backwards a little bit as the weapon was thrown at them really hard. It looked like the thrower was a large red headed man. "Say...doesn't that man look like Natalie's husband, Dorcas?" Hiro asked Lyn.

"You're right, it IS him! I'll go talk to him!" replied Lyn.

"You there, is your name Dorcas?" Lyn asked the man. Dorcas was shocked that this girl would know his name.

He nodded in response, and asked her, "...How do you know my name?"

Lyn replied, "Natalie told me. What are you doing with these rogues?"

"I need money," Dorcas replied, "to fix Natalie's leg."

"But to join up with these bandits?" asked Lyn.

"It's the only way to earn money in these parts. I'll do anything...even this," replied Dorcas sadly.

"For gold? Anything? Would you hurt your wife? Natalie is here! We're protecting her within this fortress!" exclaimed Lyn.

"What? Natalie...she's here?" asked Dorcas.

"She was so worried about you, she came looking for you here! Think Dorcas, would your actions please your wife?" asked Lyn.

"...You're right. I'm done with these bandits. I can't do this. I'm quitting, right here, right now," replied Dorcas. "And...I want to thank your kindness towards Natalie. Allow me to fight for you."

Hiro finally spoke, "Well then, now that that's all cleared up, I'll head for the leader. If I can kill him, they'll most likely leave. Dorcas, I want you to guard this entrance. Lyn and I will go get the leader."

Odin, Kent and Sain, are doing pretty well, but are having some trouble fighting in such a cramped space. It's hard to swing your weapons when your allies are right beside you, in your swinging range.

"Sain! Odin! Duck!" yelled Kent, as he twirled his lance around and swung it in a wide arc, gutting 3 bandits.

"SPIRIT BREAK!" yelled Odin, releasing a giant ball of electricity from his sword, but at an upwards angle. Gravity pulled it down to explode in the middle of the bandit group, killing about a dozen of them. Sain just impaled 2 more with his lance. However, very slowly, they were being pushed back towards the wall behind them due to overwhelming numbers.

Florina flew high with Wil sitting behind her. She noticed that he was a good shot; he scored mostly headshots at the bandits coming from the west. None of them have managed to reach the wall yet. She was impressed, but even more scared of Wil than before. She was just glad that they were on the same side. She found herself looking at his handsome face, determined to protect Natalie as he shot arrow after arrow like a madman. Wil noticed that she was staring at him after there was a little break in the bandits. "Florina? Is something wrong?" he asked her, looking concerned for his companion.

"...Oh? sorry...um...no...I'm fine..." replied Florina, blushing that Wil realized that she was staring at him.

"Okay then," said Wil as he resumed sniping bandits.

"There's the leader!" exclaimed Lyn.

"Hold on, there's something I would like to test out," said Hiro, as he focused his magic on his sword. "ETHER FLARE!" he yelled, and he struck the ground with his sword, and four vipers of flame homed in on 4 unlucky bandits, barbequing them. Then the vipers proceeded to home in on other bandits, until only a small band was left. "Let's go get them!" and the two ran towards the group.

"Damn, this isn't looking good!" yelled Odin.

Florina noticed that the cavaliers were having some trouble. "Wil, we need to help them!" she exclaimed. She then flew towards the cavaliers, Wil shooting arrows on the way. However, with the west wall unguarded, the bandits finally reached it and started breaking it down, slowly but steadily.

Lyn and Hiro sliced through the bandits on their way to the leader. "Lyn, I'll cover you. You take him down," said Hiro. Then he proceeded to kill more bandits. All was going well until someone kicked him in the groin from behind.

"OOF!" he grunted, and rolled away before getting struck by an Iron Axe. "Damn you..." he said as he got up, clutching his crotch with one hand and his sword in the other, with a rather pained look on his face.

Lyn finally reached the leader. 'Damn it,' thought Carjiga, 'they've already breached through our main force? Well, well, well. What have we here? A woman warrior. She'll looks feisty, but I'll bet she'll fetch a good price in the market.' Lyn charged at him, Mani Katti raised. Carjiga threw a hand axe at her. Carjiga wasn't as strong as Dorcas, but Lyn didn't have Hiro's constitution, so when she blocked it, she staggered backwards a bit, stunned. Carjiga took this time to rush up at her and ram into her.

'Damn,' Lyn thought, 'he's not weak.'

Hiro, very angry, shot another Ether Flare at the bandits. However, he didn't notice one coming up behind him. Only when he heard the slight woosh the axe makes when it swings did he start rolling forward, but he was struck on his back by the axe. 'Damn,' he thought. He was then rammed by another bandit to the ground. He grunted in pain. A bandit jumped up, planning to smash Hiro's head with his axe. Hiro kicked his legs up and hit the man in the gut, then tossed him away. However, when Hiro used his sword's attack, he failed to notice something. The color of his ruby grew a shade darker, but the change in shade was so slight it was almost unnoticeable.

Lyn kept dodging the frustrated bandit's blows. "You guys are persistent, I'll give you that," commented Lyn as she back dashed from another one of Carjiga's blows.

"Grr...stop moving!" He then ran towards Lyn, and kicked her in the gut, sending her flying hard.

"Ouch..." said Lyn as she choked out blood. "I've had enough. LEAVE US ALONE! DELTA EAGLE!" Lyn focused her energy into her Mani Katti. Carjiga took this chance to run up to Lyn. He then swung his axe, but when it was swung, Lyn completely disappeared. She reappeared behind Carjiga, with 2 copies of her dashing towards the bandit with her. She and her copies then disappeared. Carjiga looked around only to hear the wind. A split second later, Lyn and her copies reappeared around Carjiga, who screamed in fright, and was slashed to ribbons by Lyn and her copies.

The bandit group heard their leader scream. "Oh no, Carjiga's fallen! Retreat!" commanded the second in command.

However, one of the bandits stayed behind. They had just broken the wall, so why waste it? At least get the women, right? So he snuck inside towards the room Natalie is in, and spotted her. "Well, what do we have here? Looks like I'll be taking you now, pretty lady," said the bandit.

Natalie looked at him in fear, and stammered, "please...don't..." Then a hand axe flew over her head and struck the bandit in his chest.

"You...traitor..." said the bandit, and he fell down, dead. Natalie turned around to see her savior, and smiled.

"Flawless victory," commented Odin.

Hiro frowned. "My crotch would like to say otherwise," he complained, still clutching it in pain. "That was a really hard kick, I tell you." The friends laughed at this comment.

"Natalie, I'm sorry," apologized Dorcas.

"Hey, all's well that ends well, right?" asked Lyn.

"Okay. Our village is close. I'll drop Natalie off there, and return tomorrow," said Dorcas.

"Why can't we say our farewells today?" asked a puzzled Lyn.

"I talked with Hiro. I want to go with you," replied the big man

. "But...we're going to Lycia..." said Lyn.

"As you know, I need to earn money to heal Natalie's leg. If you think I'll be of use, I'd like to fight for you. It's the least I can do to repay your kindness towards Natalie," said the big man.

Lyn smiled. "Welcome to Lyndis' Legion, then."

"Well, it looks like things have finally calmed down," commented Hiro.

"Indeed," replied Kent. "Well, we'll be taking our turns keeping watch. Please rest easily."

Lyn looked at them, a bit concerned, "Are you sure? Don't you at least need to rest first? Sain?"

"Oh! Er, we're fine, milady!" replied Sain.

"Let me warn you... If bandits sneak up on you, they'll cut you down without mercy. Do you understand that?" asked Lyn, not reassured by his reply.

"What, do you doubt my bravery? Am I not a knight? There's no need to worry! Right, Kent?" replied Sain, sounding a bit hurt.

"If there's anything suspicious, we'll take care of it," Kent assured Lyn.

"Really? Thank you then." Then she walked off to sleep.

"Ha! No one ever trusts me!" commented Sain.

Kyo thought back to that day the cloaked men arrived. There was a pretty little girl with purple eyes and black hair. They told Master Yamato that she needed to be given special lenses to keep her eyes from going bad. Karla, however, knew that nothing was wrong with her eye and that this is all part of a large scale plan. Of course, none of the Yamatos knew about this. Kyo found out that she was really good with a foreign fighting style, and his father hired a master to train her. He also taught her his fighting style over the years. He missed his sister dearly, that's for sure, although she was adopted.

Florina found a nearby river and wanted to take a bath there. The area was somewhat misty, and the water is very clear. She took off her clothes and dived in.

Wil was tired. He was sweating a lot, too. Shooting all those arrows in overdrive really tired him out, and his sweat was making him reek. 'I need to take a bath...' and walked off to find a nearby river. He found one just behind the fortress. However, upon finding it, he didn't notice Florina's clothes, which were hidden beside a big rock to his left. He took off his clothes and went in for a swim.

'Ahh...this feels so refreshing,' thought Florina. She dived deep and swam towards a large rock in the middle, and rested her back on it. Wil waded towards the other side of the large rock, to tired to notice a naked Florina swimming underwater to his left. He rested his back on the rock and sighed. Florina heard the sigh and wondered what it was. She waded quietly and slowly to see. She found Wil, half asleep, arms crossed, looking into the distance, without clothes. She blushed, and went back to her side, but made a little, almost inaudible splash as a drop of water fell from her hair back into the river.

Wil, although not in full concentration, had heard the drop of water. He noticed a small trail of waves to his left. He was interested. 'What could that have been?' he waded around the rock slowly and quietly to find Florina...without clothing. Wil turned deep red and yelped. "GAH!" then immediately covered his mouth. And he felt something of his growing in size. 'uh oh, this isn't good...'

Florina looked towards the source of the sound, and spotted Wil, who realized that she spotted him.

A shriek and yell were heard from the castle. Birds flew away from the river.

"...What was that?" said Hiro as he heard it. He picked up his Muramasa and left to check on it, accompanied by Lyn and Odin.

"CALM DOWN, FLORINA! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" shouted Wil as he grabbed Florina's shoulders to calm her down. Florina finally calmed herself down.

"...I'm sorry...I was just ...surprised..." she apologized.

"Okay. Let's go back to each of our sides of the rock, and pretend that this never happened," suggested Wil, who was thinking as he was holding Florina's shoulder, 'don't look down, don't look down and you'll be okay...' but he did look down to see 2 large round things on Florina's chest. 'Oh...crap, control yourself man, don't do it...' However, as he did, Florina felt something...hard and pointy touch her...there. And shrieked again.

"FLORINA!" yelled Lyn, worried about her friend as she arrived on the scene. She was shocked at what she saw, then immediately drew her Mani Katti, the look of a raging demon in her eyes. Wil looked towards Lyn, and shuddered in fear.

"RAAAAHH!" Lyn yelled a battle cry, and jumped at Wil. It took Hiro and Odin all they had to restrain the enraged lord.

"RUN YOU FOOL RUNNNNN!" yelled Hiro, as Lyn threw him off of her. Wil got the hint and swam towards his clothes, then took them, and ran like hell.

"OH DEAR ELIMINE MY EYES!" yelled Sain as Wil ran into his room in the fortress, still naked. "I'm going to have nightmares tonight..." said Kent.

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So here's chapter 4. I was going to use Karla elsewhere, but I thought she deserved better than Bartre. Don't flame me if you like that pairing; this is my fic so I did it to add a little bit more drama for Karel later on, and as a major plot point. Sorry if the Wil and Florina scene was a bit perverted.

**R&R ppl!**


	9. Lyn 5: Beyond the Borders

Disclaimer: I don't own FE, just my characters.

I may have lost Mitsuna as my property, but meh. It's all for the story.

Double update today; cuz I'm really bored and got nothing else to do

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THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

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Lyn's Tale Chapter 5: Beyond the Borders**

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"Hey, I said I was sorry!" begged Wil. The day hasn't been going too well for him since last night's...incident. Lyn is ignoring him; whenever he was about to say something to her, she just walks away without even recognizing his existence. Whenever he went to talk to Florina, she blushes so much she looked and felt like a sun...then she goes to Lyn. Wil sighed. Today's going to be a looooong day. 

It was a normal day at the tactician's guild. Jack was hitting on girls like Sain at a pool, Ian was getting drunk, Louie was reading, Kassar was...doing what he does, and Mark was taking a walk around the park. He was recently informed by Mua that Mitsuna had gone missing from Castle Pherae, and that he was requested to head there to replace her. He also recently got a letter from Hiro saying that the myrmidon is currently under the service of Lady Lyndis.

'Man, nothing cool or exciting ever happens to me. Everybody else has hobbies, but me! Jack hits on girls, Ian's a drunkard, Louie's a bookworm, Kassar...no comment, Hiro is always with someone of great importance. But me, I've got nothing. At least I get to see Hilda again.' The young shaman went to his room to pack up. He packed a couple of Flux tomes and a Nosferatu, as well as 3 bottles of vulneraries. He'll be traveling alone, so it won't hurt to be well armed. He also had a change of robes. He tied his long brown hair into a ponytail behind his head. He put on his white shirt and brown pants, and wore his shaman robe over it, which was jet black with pine green markings along its sides. When he was ready, he left the guild towards Pherae.

"Damn it! How could she ditch me now?" shouted the priestess at the wall, obviously very peeved that her friend had left. "She's the one that told me to control my temper with these men, but she left FIRST! Stupid traitor..."

Kyo had heard from Mua that Mitsuna had left House Pherae and that she disappeared after that. Kyo knew what it meant. 'Damn. Those cloaked figures must have had something to do with it, I know it,' he thought. "Eiji!" he called towards the knight. "I'm leaving towards House Pherae to ask a bit about my sister, and maybe get a clue about where to find her. If I don't find any, I'll come back. If I do find something, I might not be back for a while." He ran towards the stables, and passed by Fiaa.

"Where is he off to in such a rush?" asked the Pegasus knight.

"He heard that his sister had left Castle Pherae and disappeared, and he's going to look into it," replied Eiji.

"...oh..." replied a glum sounding Fiaa.

"Why the long face?" asked Eiji, noticing that the girl looked rather down. Fiaa was surprised that he noticed that, and tried to cover up.

"Er...it's...nothing...yeah...nothing." Eiji was not convinced, but decided to leave the subject.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, we're almost there," commented Odin. "The Lycian border is very close by."

"Once we're there, we'll be safe from the bandits, right?" asked Lyn.

"Most likely. I really doubt that they'll be willing to pursue us across the border," commented Kent.

"Lycia at last! It's been a long time. Tomorrow, we'll dine on a feast of Lycia's finest foods! And the mistress of the inn at the crossing is said to be a beauty. Ah, yes... Food and love. No better way to restore a man's sould This is going to be a fine evening, eh, Kent?" asked an apparently ecstatic Sain.

"If your behavior is as deplorable as ever, we'd best stay elsewhere. We're not here for sightseeing," replied his much more disciplined comrade.

"Hey, that's not fair!" commented Sain.

"The inn will be fine, Kent," said Lyn, giggling.

"As you say, milady."

"Um...Lyn?" asked Florina.

"What is it?"

"Um... I think I see bandits in the distance..." was her timid reply. Ever since last night's incident, she almost never talked.

"What? Again? Those guys are really something..." commented Hiro.

"(sigh) You guys again?" Wil asked a bandit walking near them.

"Don't think you're getting away that easily! If you think we'd just let you pass, the people will think that the Ganelon bandits have gone soft!" Dorcas walked towards him, towering over the bandit. "Eeek!" and he ran away. After a safe distance, he yelled, "ATTACK! And no holding back this time, just because there are women with them! Wipe them all out!"

Karla, now far from Ostia, decided to rest at a village. On the way to the inn, she met an old man, who was limping, and then fell down on the ground for no reason. Karla walked towards him. "Sir! Are you all right, sir?" she asked him.

"...I'm fine, lass, I'm fine. Thank you. Um, could I ask you a favor?" asked the old man.

"Um...sure."

"I need you to find me an Antidote. My grandson is has been hit by a poisonous insect while hunting, and is affected by a really toxic poison. The store in the village doesn't have any, and as you can see, I'm in no condition to get some from the neighboring village," said the old man.

"Which way is that village?" asked Karla.

"It's just southwest of here, towards the route that leads to Pherae," replied the old man.

"Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can."

Meanwhile:

"Oooh...we're lost. This makes me sooo mad!" said a pink haired cleric.

"...(Sigh) you told me you were certain that this was the correct path..." replied her purple haired companion.

"What's your point, Erk? What are you trying to say?" asked the cleric.

"I swear you are NOT the person I was paid to escort..."replied the boy.

"What? What's that supposed to mean?" shouted the girl.

'My ears...Elimine, smite me now...okay, that didn't work.' "I heard someone was needed to escort a frail Lycian priestess to Ostia..."complained Erk.

"Yes, and I am that priestess!" said the cleric.

"Frail? You? Serra, you have no need of any escort to protect you. Even the most hardened criminal would flee in terror after five minutes in your company. I'll return your money. Gladly. Now, will you please go on to Ostia alone?" pleaded Erk.

"NO! You're MY escort, Erk! MINE! You're so clean and tidy. A noblewoman like myself can't be seen without a proper escort. Your personality's nothing special, but you're not bad to look at," replied Serra.

"I believe that's my line. And I have to take you all the way to Ostia? I only hope my nerves can endure the journey," mumbled Erk.

"What are you mumbling about? You're so gloomy! Hm? Something's happening over there. Let's take a look!" said Serra, as she headed towards the commotion.

"Ah. Of course. The first opportunity to get involved in trouble, and she jumps right in. No amount of money is worth this. Hoo..." complained Erk, who ran after her. 'You know, maybe I should just leave her here...no, it'd look bad on my records...I think...'

"Wow! A fight! A fight! Erk! Take a look! Fighting those bandits... It's a young girl!" exclaimed an ecstatic Serra.

"Quiet! They might hear us!" instructed Erk.

A bandit walked nearby and noticed them. "Eh? What's this? Are you in league with that she-devil?" asked the bandit.

"Hm?" asked Serra, just noticing him.

"Oi...this is so wrong..." complained Erk.

"GAAA! I'll take care of you in one swift stroke!" shouted the bandit.

"KYAAA! ERK SAVE ME I DON'T WANT TO DIEEEE!" shouted Serra.

"My poor ears...(sighs) You there! See if you can match me!" shouted Erk at the bandit. 'Once we reach a town, I am SO getting my ears checked...'

Birds flew off in from a nearby forest following a VERY loud scream. "What was that?" asked Lyn. "I'll go check it out," volunteered Hiro, who dashed towards the noise.

Erk dodged a heavy blow from the axe while pushing Serra aside. However, the bandit kicked his gut, and he went flying. He then jumped towards Erk again. Erk rolled to his left, but the bandit's axe cut his right arm. 'Damn,' he thought. Then he got up, and started chanting. A fireball flew out of his hands and charred the bandit in midstrike.

"Hey!" Hiro greeted the strange pair.

"Hm?" Serra noticed him.

"Why are you fighting these bandits?" asked Hiro.

"It just happened..." answered Erk

"Are you with that young green haired woman?" asked Serra.

"Um...yes," replied Hiro.

"Those ruffians thought that we were with you! You got us into a terrible situation! Now, how are you going to get us out?" shouted Serra.

"Serra, if you'd not been so meddlesome, this all could have been avoided. My apologies. Please trouble yourself with us no more," Erk said to Hiro.

"But...since we have to fight the bandits anyway, why not join up with us for now?" Hiro offered.

"Good idea! Erk, go and help them!" commanded Serra.

"But...I...Fine!" huffed Erk. He knew it was no good to argue with Serra when she started giving out commands.

"My name's Hiro; I'm the group's tactician. Pleased to meet you two. So, will you join up arms with us?" asked the myrmidon.

"Yes, we'd be glad to. My name is Serra, This is my escort, Erk. Be a good boy, and go fight now, Erk," commanded the cleric, who ran off towards Hiro's group.

"Did I make the right choice?" Hiro asked the mage.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into man," replied Erk.

"Come on, Erk," said Serra, pulling him by the ear. "Ow..."

"Hello. You're Lyn, right? I'm Serra. Nice to meet you. By the way, see this contrary mage here with me? His name is Erk. I think he's been hurt. I am Erk's employer. "Master", I suppose you could say. What I'm getting at is... I was thinking of healing him free of charge. I know, I know. I'm generous to a fault. Hm? Why are you looking at me like that? Praise my generosity! Anyway, that's the deal," Serra said without taking a breath, her hand still holding Erk's ear.

When Serra finished, Lyn was still gaping in surprise. "...You're a cleric?" she asked.

"Yes! Is something the matter?" replied Serra.

"...Oh...nothing..." was Lyn's reply.

"...Hiro, right? You say you're the group's tactician?" asked Erk.

"That's correct. I also happen to be a myrmidon and mage, but my Fimbulvetr tome is missing after a rather dangerous battle," Hiro replied.

"I see," replied Erk. "Rich boy. You had a Fimbulvetr tome, and you lost it."

"I wish. Say, do you have an extra tome on you?" asked Hiro.

"It's nothing much though. I was only given enough money to buy a Fire tome. Nobles are so cheap these days," commented Erk.

"Thanks, it'll be good enough," commented Hiro. "So...are you like, her man-b!tch now?" asked Hiro.

"It's even worse than that," said Erk, as he sighed. "I'll give you all the details later..."

"ERK!" called Serra.

"(sigh) What is it now..." asked the mage.

"I'm going to show these people the power of a cleric!" She starts waving her staff around, and chanted. A healing light appeared over Erk.

"Why...thank you!" said a surprised Erk.

"You're welcome. Now run along and go fight the bandits, okay?"

"Well, at least she seems...generous," commented Hiro.

"You know nothing," replied Erk, as the two rushed towards the bandit leader.

"You're gonna learn why people fear the Ganelon Bandits!" yelled the leader.

"Yeah, yeah..." said Hiro, who then dashed at the bandit with lightning speed. The bandit swung his axe towards Hiro vertically, thinking that the myrmidon wouldn't be able to stop before impact. Hiro jumped to the side while doing a spinning slash to the bandit's gut. The bandit growled. "Erk!" called Hiro. The bandit turned towards the mage, and was blasted in the gut by a fireball. He was sent flying towards Hiro, who kicked the bandit's back. "GAH!" yelled the bandit. He then charged at Hiro out of fury, and slashed his axe like crazy...and missed every single strike. Hiro then signaled for Erk again. Erk blasted another fireball at the bandit, who was too occupied on hitting Hiro, and barbequed him. "Never lose your cool in a fight; it could cost you victory," commented Hiro, shaking his finger. "That was good teamwork there, Erk."

"Thank you," replied the mage.

Hiro arrived with Erk... to find Sain trying to woo Serra.

"...Is he for real?" asked Erk in disbelief.

"...Oh yeah," replied Hiro.

"Oh, Erk! Finally! Well, Sain here told me that Lady Lyndis here is the Marquess of Caelin's granddaughter! Guess what I'm thinking?" asked Serra.

"What devilry are you planning now, Serra?" asked a tired Erk.

"Well, we're going to help her. It always helps to have a powerful person in your debt," she replied.

"...Why?" asked the cynical mage.

"...You know, why should we go with you anyway? Are you being hunted or something?" asked Serra.

"Well, actually, yes. Assassins everywhere. It's an inheritance dispute," replied Sain. "Well then, my healing staff and Erk's magic should be a good help for you all!" said the energetic cleric.

"I should be getting paid more for this..." complained Erk.

"Aww, don't be such a scrooge, Erk," said Serra, tapping his head with her heal staff.

"So you're with us now, huh?" Odin asked the mage.

"Yeah, but I wished I was getting paid more," replied the mage. "So, anything good happen before I joined?" he asked.

"Oh, man you really need hear this," said Hiro.

"HEY! Don't do it...Don't tell him, PLEAZEEE!" begged Wil.

"Relax, everybody had their embarrassing moments. It's just that yours is...rather unexpected..." replied Hiro. So he told Erk what happened, and everyone laughed. Except Wil, who was red as a tomato, curled up in the fetal position of SHAME.

"Oh, well, here's my story," said Erk. "As part of my training to become a sage, I was told to become an escort for a few missions. It was a good job, at the start. It pays really well, you know? Then, after my 4th mission, I walked into a town. I entered the town's church, looking for my employer. Guess who it was, to my dismay. Well, she paid well; about 1500g. I thought, excellent, right? Easy money. WRONG. My ears were dying almost all of the way, and I couldn't just leave her because it would look bad on my record," finished Erk, as he sighed again.

"That's just sad, man," commented Odin. "Well, I better get back to guard duty."

The cavaliers were on guard as the boys traded stories. The girls then took a bath in a nearby river. "Well, why don't you go spy on Florina, Wil?" asked Erk. Wil blushed, and entered the fetal position of shame again.

At Castle Caelin:

"WHAT! SHE ALREADY CROSSED THE BORDER!" yelled Lundgren in his rage. "Yes, Lord Lundgren, she's en route to Araphen..." replied a soldier. "Fool! Send out soldiers to meet her! Hold nothing back! Do anything to finish this now! First the old man, and now the girl... They cling to life like a drowning man to a rock! Double the poison's strength! If he struggles, hold him down and pour it down his throat! Once the girl is gone, Caelin is mine. I will let no one stand in my way!" commanded the angry general.

'Don't worry, old man, I'll get the antidote,' thought Karla as she ran towards the neighboring village to the old man's.

'Where could she be now?' thought Kyo, as he approached Castle Pherae.

'Kyo...please come back soon,' thought Fiaa.

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**End Lyn Chapter 5**

**R&R. Stopping now because The 70's Show is about to go on.**


	10. Lyn 6: Blood of Pride

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever, just my own characters

This update: fixed a few mistakes from the last chapter, and 1 step closer towards finishing Lyn's story. I also found out that Lyn's age in the jap version is 16, so we'll be going with that, instead of 18.

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* * *

THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

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Lyn's Tale Chapter 6: Blood of Pride**

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"Well, here I am," said Mark, who finally arrived at Castle Pherae. He walked towards the gates of the castle. "Hey! I'm the tactician replacement! Open up!" he called towards the gatekeepers. He heard talking behind the gates as they were being opened, which sounded like: 

"Dang, it's not a chick this time..."

"This blows...well, there's still that other chick..."

"OW!"

"Don't even think about it!"

The last one came from a familiar voice. Mark walked into the castle, and was glomped by Hilda.

"Wha..?" Mark was about to ask, but Hilda interrupted.

She whispered to him, "Shh, just play along..." Mark looked at her confused. "Well, boys," she said maliciously at the gatekeepers, "This is my boyfriend, Mark." The guards and the shaman all looked at her in shock.

"Since when am...OW!...I mean, yeah, I'm her boyfriend!" said Mark, biting his lip, not being able to finish his question because Hilda stomped on his instep with her heel, and took the hint.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to be shown to my room, please," said the shaman, hoping to get out of the situation.

"Are you really her boyfriend?" asked one of the castle guards.

"Um...yes..."

"Of course he is!" Hilda answered for him.

"Then you two won't mind proving it by...kissing, hm?" another guard asked. Hilda stayed silent, blushing a bit. The guards smiled, and was about to say something.

Mark, however, noticed Hilda's mistake and covered for her. "And why should we do it in front of you? Are you that deprived of love and sex that you have to see other people making out?" he asked in a cold tone. It was the guards' turn to shut up.

The one thing he loved about being a shaman is that you can be a complete smartass and nobody would argue with you. Being a shaman gives you a somewhat dark, scary, and sometimes, badass aura. Mark thanked that most shamans have this reputation. Then he was shown to his room by a maid, who was giggling at the castle guards, humiliated by a single comment. 'I'm so good, it's scary.'

He went out to see Hilda after he finished unpacking. He met her on the top of the eastern wall. Apparently, she decided to change. She tied her long light blue hair into a ponytail behind her, instead of the 2 pigtails she usually had. She decided to also wear a short skirt with long blue boots, and a white t-shirt. Mark's face went red after seeing her skimpy outfit, and after finally gathering enough courage, he went up and talked to her.

"Kyo's been gone too long. I'm going out to look for him," said Fiaa, heading towards the stables.

"...It's only been 10 hours..." remarked Eiji. Shrugging, he resumed eating his lunch.

'Maybe it's too soon to go look for him...Nah...' Fiaa thought.

"So...where are we now?" Hiro asked the cavaliers.

"We're at Araphen, the biggest city, next to Ostia, in Lycia," replied Sain. "Kent said he was heading to the Marquess' castle for something..."

"Lady Lyndis!" called Kent, as he rode towards the group from the castle. "Let us proceed to the castle. They've prepared supplies for us. The marquess has agreed to aid us on our journey to Caelin."

"He's going to help us?" Lyn asked.

"Yes. Araphen and Caelin have enjoyed a sturdy friendship for many years. Once I informed the marquess of our plight, he agreed to lend us his strength," replied Kent.

"Well, it looks like the journey will go on smoothly after this," Odin chimed in.

"If we could pick up some soldiers, the road to Caelin would be that much safer. I'm truly sorry for hardships you've suffered so far, milady," apologized Kent.

"Oh, it's all right. You are so capable, Kent," was Lyn's reply.

"Kent!" shouted the other 2 cavaliers.

"Oh, Sain, Odin, you were a great help too," Lyn said. Odin breathed a sigh of relief. If she remembered him now, then he might still have a shot. "Well, let's head to the castle then!"

"...Is that fire?" Wil asked as they headed towards the castle.

"You're right..." replied Hiro. A man walked towards the group, and pointed at Lyn.

"You! You are Lyndis, aren't you?" questioned the man.

"What do you want with me?" Lyn asked him.

"No time for questions! Prepare yourself!" said the man, who pulled out a steel sword out of its sheath on his right hip. However, before he could do anything, he was shot in the head by an arrow.

A man riding on a brown horse rode up to the group. His hair was dark pine green, and he had a slight tan. By the looks of his clothes, he was Sacaean. He wore a red bandana over his short hair, as well as dark red battle robes, with patterns in black and gold lining the robes' sides. "...thank you," Lyn said to the man. "Why did you help me?" she asked

"I thought that a Sacaean plainswoman was being attacked. It looks like I was mistaken," was the nomad's reply.

"No, you were right! I am from Sacae. I'm Lyn, the daughter of the Lorca chieftain."

The man raised his eyebrows in response to Lyn's comment. "The Lorca...there were survivors?" He asked her, a bit surprised. Lyn nodded to answer his question. "You should leave at once. A blaze has started in the castle, and it's spreading. Don't be foolish and waste the life I just saved," warned the man.

"You're from the castle? What's happening? How severe is the fire? Is the marquess safe?" Lyn asked him nonstop.

"The castle is under attack, and the marquess has been accosted. The man who attacked you was probably one of the marauders. As captain of the castle guard, it's my duty to rescue the marquess," replied the man.

"Well then, we'll help you," Lyn said.

"Milady..." warned Odin.

"It's me that those villains all after. The least I could do for this castle is to at least drive them away," replied Lyn.

"Well then...I shall accept your aid. I am Rath, of the Kutolah tribe. Our tribes may be different, but I shall never abandon a woman of Sacae."

In a nearby house... "Hey! What are you doing in my house?" a woman light brown haired young man, wearing a lime green shirt, beige pants, and a red cloak.

"Peace! I mean no danger to you! Your home offers a good view of the battle outside. Look, I'll pay you for the privilege. Please," replied the man.

"Like a vulture waiting for the spoils, eh? Terrible! Pay up! I'll be hiding below, so don't bother me," said the woman.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Now then, which side has the most to offer?" wondered the man as he resumed looking over the battlefield. However, he stopped when he saw something glimmer in the corner of his eye. He picked it up. 'A rare Heaven Seal! This would make a fortune!' he thought. Then he looked around the house. 'Well, might as well make the most of this place,' he thought as he looted everything.

"A secret passageway? How clichéd," commented Hiro.

"It leads to the throne room. There are triggers in the barracks that will reveal the passageway," Rath said. "However, we need to release all three triggers or the door won't open, and we won't be able to rescue the marquess. What's worse is that the enemy have hidden themselves in the barracks and locked themselves in with the trigger, and we have no way of getting inside the rooms."

"This could be troublesome. Well, some of the marauders probably have keys on them. I think that I'll go look around for the services of a thief," said Hiro. 'Wish Kassar was here right now...wonder what he's doing?'

At the tactician's guild, Kassar is...doing something very nasty...on a bed of needles. Hiro thought, 'actually, I don't think I want to know...'

"Hey! You! Hold up!" the light brown haired man called to Hiro as he walked near the houses, looking for a pub to hire a thief. "I'm Matthew, a...specialist in acquisitions of all kinds. Would you like to buy my services?" greeted Matthew.

"...In other words, you're a thief?" Hiro asked him, looking at Matthew's pant pockets and giant sack he had on his back. "Well, to put it bluntly, yes..."replied Matthew. "Sweet, you're in. Welcome to Lyndis' Legion. I'm Hiro, the tactician," greeted Hiro.

"Well, Matthew, please open that door for us," instructed Hiro, pointing towards an unguarded door. The thief walked up to it, and took something out of his wristband.

'This should do the trick,' Matthew thought as he opened the previously locked door.

"Well, I think we'll need to split into 3 groups to look for the switches faster. However, we might still need some information. Florina, I want you to go do that, because you'll have trouble maneuvering Huey in the cramped space we'll be fighting in," instructed Hiro. "Matthew, Lyn, and I will be in a group. Dorcas and Wil are another group, Rath and Serra and Erk in another, and the cavaliers will all be in one group."

"Hold on, you will need these..." said Matthew as he gave Dorcas, Rath and Kent 3 golden keys. "These are expensive keys that can open any door, and the best part is, you don't need to know how to pick locks with these. The only problem is, they disappear after 1 use, so be careful where you use them."

"The captain of the marquess's guard is a fellow named Rath... I've heard tell that he's a nomad from the plains of Sacae. Odd, considering how the marquess so obviously hates the nomads. I guess the marquess is pleased to have a nomad under his control. The ways of aristocrats are beyond my comprehension," said a lady at a house Florina just visited.

"The marquess of Araphen's hatred for the people of Sacae is well known. Nomads are barred entrance to the city on the marquess's orders. He says he will not allow the nomads' stench to infect his city. Long ago, the marquess was in love with Marquess Caelin's daughter. It's said she spurned him in favor of a nomadic prince. Even so, I think the marquess goes too far in his treatment of the horsemen," said a man at a different house.

'That's not good news...' Florina thought. 'What if he refuses to help Lyn?'

"Wow! Unless my eyes are deceiving me, that's a treasure chest!" exclaimed Matthew.

"...So?" asked Lyn.

"Well, since we came all this way to help, why don't we help ourselves?" asked Matthew.

"What? That is out of the question! We're here to help the marquess, not loot him!" answered an angry Lyn.

"Well, even if we do help him I don't think he'll be too happy whether we take anything or not," said Matthew.

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" asked Lyn.

"You don't know? The marquess of Araphen hates all Sacaeans."

"But Rath is..."

"That's only because Rath is under the marquess' control...I don't think that the marquess will be helping us because we have you two Sacaeans here. So, why don't we call this looting an...advance in our payment instead, just in case we end up with nothing?" suggested Matthew.

"...Fine," Lyn finally gave in, after hearing Matthew's words.

Matthew, Lyn, and Hiro sneaked towards the chest. In the darkness, they failed to see another chest right beside it, and Hiro tripped over it. "Well, not as sneaky as I would have hoped, but this'll do..." commented Matthew. He used his lock pick to open the first chest, and found a white robe, with two angel wings on its back. It was also sparkling. "This is an angelic robe," explained Matthew, "It's one of many rare magical items that can make its user more powerful when used. However, once used, it disappears, but its effect stays with the user. Lyn, I think you should take this. This is for people of the less...robust side."

Lyn took the robe, and put it on. A bright white ball of light circled around Lyn, and then disappeared along with the robe. "...I feel stronger now," commented Lyn.

The cavaliers rode westward, towards another door outside the castle which Florina spotted. "Hmmm...This door is guarded by 2 knights. We might have a hard time dealing with them, seeing as our weapons probably won't even scratch their armor..." mused Kent.

"That's where I come in. All that armor will so much electricity from my electric attacks, they'll be shocked to death inside," mused Odin. Having seeing that this problem is solved, they rode towards the door again.

"So...How's it going with Lady Lyndis?" Sain asked the black haired cavalier.

"...Wh..Wh...What?" asked Odin with a shocked expression on his face. "Don't deny it, we've all seen the way you look at her. When do you plan on asking her out?" Sain asked him another question.

"...Um...well...uh...That thought is just absurd! I'm just one of her knights, I have no right to think about such things; my duty and purpose is just to protect her!" replied Odin, but he was stammering.

"Sure. That's also Kent's excuse when he liked a maid that was serving at Caelin, too," said Sain.

"HEY! That's not true! I...was only there to do my duty!" said Kent, trying to defend himself as well.

"Yeesh, you guys are hopeless. Do you BOTH want to be virgins for the rest of your lives?" Sain asked them as they reached the knights. Both Odin and Kent blushed a bright red, looking defeated.

"SPIRIT BREAK!" yelled Odin, sending a giant ball of electricity towards the first knight. That knight was instantly electrocuted. Kent and Sain then dashed towards the other knight, pointing their Lances right at him. The knight put his shield up, but was sent flying back from the force of the charge. Kent then rode towards him, and thrust his lance through the knight's helmet visor, impaling the knight's head and killing him.

Sain then opened the door with the golden key Matthew gave him. The key then disappeared. "That's very creepy," he commented. "If all thieves have these in their disposal, why do they never use it to steal from mansions and other places?"

Dorcas charged towards a soldier, batting the soldier's lance away and smashing his axe into the soldier's skull.

"Dorcas, look out!" warned Wil as a Javelin just missed the fighter's head by an inch. Wil then took out an arrow and shot it at the soldier who just threw the Javelin. The 2 moved quickly towards another door, and opened it.

"Look, I think that knight is standing on the switch!" exclaimed Wil. "Leave him to me. Just watch our backs," instructed Dorcas. Dorcas then ran towards the knight. The knight smirked, 'This will be easy,' he thought, preparing himself to raise his lance at the right moment so Dorcas will impale himself on it. However, Dorcas saw this movement, and just when he reached the lance's range, he spun around to his right, and went into a whirlwind. His axe struck the knight's chest hard. The knight grunted in pain, and Dorcas took this time to smash his axe into the knight's helmet, cracking the knight's skull. Then he activated the switch. "Success," he said, giving a thumbs up to Wil.

"Fire!" yelled Erk, sending a barrage of tiny yet effective balls of painful burning death at enemy soldiers. Rath sniped the soldiers that Erk had missed.

"Your aim could be better, Erk," commented Rath.

"I know, I need more practic..." replied Erk, but he wasn't able to finish as Serra interrupted him.

"UGH! ERK! Let's get out of here! The stench of burning flesh is killing my nose! And this is all your fault! This isn't good for my lungs, you know..." and she went on and on.

"...Do you have to deal with this everyday?" Rath whispered the question towards Erk.

"Since a couple of days ago, yes. I'm supposed to be her escort until she reaches Ostia. And when we're finally there, I will finally feel true freedom," he whispered back, sighing as he noticed that Serra is still complaining. "Dear Elimine, just shut up already," he growled through gritted teeth.

"Hey, this is an armorslayer!" exclaimed Matthew as he opened the other chest. "This blade is specifically made to fight heavily armored knights! This could be useful when we do encounter those!" He gave it to Hiro. "I'm not too fond of fighting those knights, so I won't be using this."

Serra opened the door towards another room. "Look, there's a switch! And that armor knight is guarding it!" exclaimed Erk. However, there are 2 soldiers and a mercenary. Erk aimed a fire spell towards a soldier and Rath shot an arrow at the other. However, the mercenary dashed towards Serra as Erk and Rath were busy with the soldiers.

"EEEEK! ERKKKK!" screamed Serra. The mercenary stopped in front of her in shocked silence, not expecting this kind of retaliation. 'I think I'm deaf,' thought the knight. Serra then ran up to him and whacked his head repeatedly with her heal staff...hard. "GO AWAY, GO AWAAY!" yelled Serra. When the mercenary was knocked out, Rath shot an arrow through his heart. Meanwhile, Erk ran up towards the armor knight.

"Bah. Lyndis and her cadre. When did you arrive? No matter. I shall deal with you," said the knight.

"I'd like to see you try!" yelled Erk, as he charged up a fire spell, and releasing it. The knight, not being fast enough to be able to dodge it, put up his shield to block it. However, the shield was no match for a fully charged fire spell, as it melted at the moment of impact with the flaming ball of death.

"Damn it," said the knight, who then tossed the shield away. Then he ran towards Erk, but he seemed to have a lot of difficulty doing it. Erk dodged his lance by rolling to his left. The knight continued running, not being able to stop in his heavy armor. His lance got stuck in the wall. Cursing, he started pulling it out, but was interrupted by Erk.

"Hey, ugly! What happens to a piece of flesh covered in metal when it gets charbroiled to 'over cook?'" The knight turned around, fearing what might come next. He saw a giant fireball heading straight towards his chest, and melting his armor. The melted armor, being very hot, charred the knight's skin, and it burned him. When it cooled down, he finally stopped screaming. "Same thing that happens to everything else," Erk answered his own question, and gave a twisted grin, satisfied with his work. "Man, that was great stress relief," he sighed, as he activated the switch.

"It looks like they succeeded. I'll call them to meet up at the passage way," said Hiro.

The group walked down the secret passageway. "Um...Lyn?" Florina asked the lord as she walked up to her friend. "I heard from the villagers...that the marquess despises Sacaeans. Do you think he'll help us when he knows that you're one of them?"

Lyn looked at the ground, and said, "I hope so..."

The group finally reached the marquess' chambers. "Ah, Rath!" he greeted the nomad, "What a splendid performance! You did well, as always."

"Please sir, if you have any praise, it should be given to this group," Rath said, motioning his hand towards the group of warriors.

"My name is Lyndis. It's a pleasure to meet you," greeted Lyn.

"...oh, it's you. You're Marquess Caelin's...Leave us for a moment, Rath, I would like to talk to her," said the marquess as Rath backed away.

"Now, Lady Lyndis, do you know the identity of those responsible for this attack?" asked the marquess.

"I believe it was my granduncle Lundgren..."replied Lyn, looking down at the ground.

"That is correct. This means that my castle has been damaged, and the cause is your family's little inheritance dispute," said the marquess, glaring at her. Lyn quickly apologized. "When I heard that Lady Madelyn's daughter was in trouble, I thought to lend my assistance... I find I've changed my mind. I withdraw my offer," said the marquess.

"What? But milord, you gave me your word!" exclaimed Kent.

"Your name is Kent, is it not? You failed to inform me of one most vital detail!" replied the marquess, looking at him as coldly as he did Lyn.

"...What is it, milord?" asked the cavalier, returning the old man's cold stare with his own.

"This girl does resemble Lady Madelyn, but... I didn't expect to see her so tainted with the blood of Sacae," answered the marquess. Lyn looked up at him at that comment.

Hiro also looked surprised. "What?" both of them asked in unison.

"And that swordsman...he's a Sacaean as well," said the marquess, spitting in Hiro's direction, and the tactician was having a hard time keeping his Muramasa in its sheathe. "Kent, don't you feel the marquess of Caelin would be troubled to meet this... nomadic mongrel?" asked the marquess.

"You...bloody cursed selfish SON OF A...!" cursed Hiro, about to take his sword out, but was restrained by Odin and Dorcas. He growled menacingly, giving the old man a death glare from his menacing blood red eyes. The old man, shivered a bit at looking at Hiro's eyes. "I'm only part Sacaean, but that doesn't mean I'll let you insult us and treat us like dogs!" he yelled at the marquess.

"Hmmm. Your slave...he is poorly disciplined," commented the marquess.

"SLAVE! WHY DON'T I TAKE MY FOOT AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR SENILE CRINKLED..." yelled Hiro, this time being restrained by all the men in the army.

"Marquess Araphen, please if you could help us with your aid...We are in a terrible situation right now..." pleaded Kent.

"... I hear Marquess Caelin is ill and abed. I question whether he will survive to meet this girl. In which case, his brother, Lundgren, will claim his title. And I certainly wish to avoid trouble with the coming marquess," replied Marquess Araphen.

"You scheming..." it was Sain's turn to be angry at him.

"I understand. Odin, Kent, Sain, we leave at once," Lyn said.

"But milady...we..." said Kent, but Lyn interrupted him.

"I am proud of the Sacae blood that runs through my veins. I will NOT accept aid from one who disparages my heritage." Hiro looked at the marquess with a menacing glare. The marquess returned the myrmidon's glare, but is badly losing this staring contest as the red eyes fill him with great fear.

Then Hiro walked away with the rest of the group. "Bastard," he said.

"Way to tell that lout, milady!" congratulated Sain. "Don't worry about anything. We're all here for you! Isn't that so, Kent?"

Kent looked at Lyn. "...I apologize, milady. I was so focused on getting us back to Caelin, I didn't take your feelings into account," he said to her.

"Hey, let it go. At least we're back on the road again," said Odin. "Milady Lyndis, I hope this little problem hasn't discouraged you..."

Lyn shook her head. "...No, not at all. Thank you Odin, Sain, Kent. You've all been a great help so far," she replied.

"Bah! Arrogant child! If she had but shed a single tear, I would have granted her request. We Lycian nobles will never understand those prideful savages," said the marquess as he talked to himself in his room, angry at Lyn.

Rath was just outside his room when he heard this. He then barged in. "Is that what you really think of all the Sacaeans, milord?" Rath asked the marquess in a cold tone

. "...Oh, Rath! Of course comments do not reflect on you. You are my captain. I am proud of your service," replied the marquess, surprised at Rath's sudden appearance.

"Of course. As long as we bend our knee to you, you care not where we're from. But when an equal comes from my lands? What conceit," said Rath, in an even colder tone than before.

"Rath! How can you speak to me like that? I have treated you well, have I not? I have paid you well. I have treated you better than your kind deserves," replied the marquess coldly.

"You will never understand. My service ends here," and with that, Rath left to get his belongings.

"Lady Lyndis," called Rath as he caught up with Lyn's group.

"Rath? What's the matter?" Lyn asked him.

"I overheard the marquess talking to himself. Lyn of the Lorca... Proud daugther of the Sacae... I would join you. I would add my strength to yours," answered Rath. He then took out a sack of gold. "Here, I want you to have this," he said, handing the sack to her.

"...Rath! This is too much! I can't accept this! Your service would be more than enough!" said a surprised Lyn, after looking at the gold.

"I cannot take something back once offered," was Rath's reply. "Rath...thank you..." thanked Lyn.

The group set up camp inside a forest clearing. Lyn walked off to take some time off to think. When Odin noticed that she had gone, he went to look for her.

Florina was feeding Huey. Wil noticed that she was a bit far from the rest of the group. '...that's right, she's afraid of men. I think I should help her get rid of this fear...but... this... might be a problem,' he thought, looking down at his crotch, remembering the incident at the river. He sighed, got up, and walked towards the Pegasus knight. 'Control yourself, Willy, and you might be free in the end,' he thought, looking down there again.

"...Milady?" Odin asked as he found her sitting under a tree, deep in thought. When he greeted her, she looked up in surprise. "...I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I noticed that you were missing from camp. Are you all right, milady?" Lyn nodded, and motioned her hand for him to sit beside her. Odin obeyed.

"...Odin?" Odin looked at her.

"...Thank you. I know that this is a tiring journey, yet you all have been giving it your all just to get me there. I noticed that you are giving the most effort out of all of us to help me; you've been the kindest to me, and you're always here when I need help." Odin blushed.

"...It's my duty as your knight, milady."

Lyn looked a bit disappointed at his reply. "...I see." And she walked up and left towards camp.

'DAMN! I blew it!' thought Odin. "Maybe Hiro was right, this chivalry thing isn't good for picking up women," he said to himself.

Wil walked up to Florina, but stopped when he heard his stomach grumble, and when he saw a bird up in a tree. 'Might as well go hunting. This should also help lessen her fear of archers as well,' he thought. He went to his tent to pick up his bow, and told the guys he was going to go hunting. He went looking for the bird again, which was... on a tree right behind Florina. He sighed, and walked up to her.

Florina got on Huey's back to wash her mane. She looked up, and saw Wil walk up to her, bow in hand. Although she knew that he wasn't going to hurt her, she was terrified, simply because he's holding a bow. When he walked closer, however, instead of running away in fear, she simply sat there looking at him. She didn't notice, however, that she was blushing, and for each step Wil took, her face grew a heavier shade of red until she looked like she has a fever. "Oh my god, Florina! Do you have a fever?" Wil looked at her with concern, noticing her increasingly red face. Florina looked puzzled, but realized why he asked her that.

"Oh...no, I'm okay...it's nothing," she replied, really embarrassed. "...Florina can I talk to you for a second?" Wil asked her, a bit disappointed that dinner will have to wait.

Florina slowly nodded. 'Why did I do that?' she thought.

They walked up to another tree, far from camp, and sat under its mighty branches. "Florina...I want to help you...get rid of your fear of guys," Wil said to her. Florina blushed a bit. "Why are you afraid anyways?"

"Um...well, it's a long story. Do you want to listen to it?" she asked him.

"Sure, I've got the time," replied Wil.

"FARINA!" A 7 year old Florina cried to her older sister. She and Fiora were looking for Farina in Ilia, along with their friends Fiaa and Lolita. After finding their sister, the sight horrified them...

Florina broke down into tears after she finished. "...She was raped, huh..." said Wil slowly. Florina cried harder and...held her arms around Wil, crying into his chest. "...I'm sorry that you had to see it at such a young age..." He said, trying to comfort her.

"...It's okay...Anyways, after that, Farina was a lot more aggressive, always trying her hardest to become the strongest...so it would never happen again," Florina finished.

"Well, I hope that telling this story to someone at least helped you a little bit," Wil said.

As he was about to leave, he felt something still holding him. 'She hasn't let go yet? I must be doing better than I thought,' thought Wil. He looked to his left to see that Florina was just awaken; his movement of getting up woke her. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were asleep," Wil apologized.

"...It's okay," Florina said. Both got up, and walked back to camp.

Florina still holding on to Wil didn't notice a large root in her path, so she tripped over it. Wil's reflex was to try to grab her so she wouldn't fall. He bent down to catch her. He managed to catch her, but barely. He sighed, but that feeling of relief left when he noticed that his hands were holding round, soft, yet firm things. 'OH SH!T!' he thought.

Florina's face was VERY red. "um...Wil..."

"OHDEARELIMINEI'MSORRYPLEASEDON'TKILLME!" begged Wil after he helped Florina up, and curling up into his trademark fetal position of shame. Florina, however, just grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up. Wil was relieved.

"...Thank you," she said, still very embarrassed over what just happened.

The two walked closer to each other, until Florina's whole front part of her body was touching Wil's. Both were very red in the face, but neither pushed the other one away. Florina closed her eyes, and moved her face closer to Wil's, as he did the same thing. In a moment, their lips met, and they held each other tightly, not willing to let the other person go. In a spur of the moment thing, Florina jumped and straddled Wil, who was on the ground and looking at the beautiful young girl on top of him. She kissed him again, deeply this time, and Wil held her in a tighter embrace than before, not willing to let her go. And they went farther into the greatest make out session of their lives. (No xxx YET, ppl).

Wil and Florina came back to camp VERY late at night, looking very tired, sweating, and with very messed up hair to find Hiro on guard duty, looking shocked. He said nothing as Wil walked Florina to her tent and walked up to the campfire. After Wil sat down, and was about to tell his friend about what happened, Hiro finally said, "...I don't even want to know where you went and what you did...but good job. I'm proud of you." Wil was relieved. "Really, though, it seemed that you got her to conquer her fear of men. That's impressive," Hiro congratulated him.

"Thanks, couldn't have done it without your advice. Telling me to help her get rid of her fears certainly helped," Wil thanked his friend.

"I'm guessing that's what started the make out session," Hiro replied. Wil nodded.

"I'm not going to tell Lyn, or she'll slaughter you," Hiro finished.

Karla finally arrived at the neighboring village, and bought herself an antidote. Then she sprinted towards the village she just ran from. It was tiring, but she couldn't just abandon an old man in need.

"Well, boys, why don't you all just LEAVE US ALONE?" yelled Hilda. Mark just nodded in agreement.

"No can do, pretty lady, unless you prove to us you're really his girlfriend."

Hilda, very angry, was about to strike him with her staff, when Mark held her arm. She looked at him, but also noticed that he was holding her hand firmly, yet gently at the same time, not wanting to hurt her. She didn't attack, and blushed. "Thanks, don't know what I would have done to them if you didn't interfere," she whispered to him. Mark just nodded, and grinned.

"Well, I don't care if they be coupled or not, the lady's ours, so you better move it, WIMP!" said one of the guards as he pushed Mark away from Hilda, and proceeded to beat him with a lance, and Mark was obviously in pain.

"WAIT! You said you'll all stop if we prove it right?" Hilda asked them. "We'll show you then...just don't hurt him!" she pleaded.

"Fine, ruin my fun," said the guard.

Hilda pulled Mark up and pulled his face closed to hers. He could see she had tears in her eyes, it was obvious that she had mixed feelings about this matter. "This is the only way they'll leave us alone...I'm sorry, Mark," said Hilda as she closed her eyes, and kissed him.

"Dang," said one of the guards, leaving, and his companions soon leaving with him.

"MMFFMMFMFM!" mumbled Mark. Hilda finally opened her eyes, and pulled out of the kiss. She looked around, embarrassed to find that none of the guards are there anymore.

"...sorry, what was that?" she asked him, stammering.

"I was trying to say they're gone now since about 5 minutes ago," Mark answered, making her blush even redder. He then walked towards his room. "...Hilda?" he asked as her as he was about to turn the corner. She looked up at him. "Let's do that again sometime." Hilda blushed at his comment, and then smiled, and went to her room.

**End Lyn's tale chapter 6**

No Wil and Florina sex yet, way too early in the story.


	11. Lyn 7: Siblings Abroad

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever, just my own characters

It gets really annoying typing that all the time, you know?

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THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

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Lyn's Tale Chapter 7: Siblings Abroad **

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'Damn,' Kyo thought, as he headed back towards Ostia. 'No sign of her anywhere. The only hint was that she went towards Sacae...I don't want to risk going there alone.' 

Karla walked out of the village inn, well rested and refreshed. She walked out of the village, and into a forest. "Hello again, Karla," said a familiar voice. Karla turned around, sword drawn, to see Villa.

"What do you want?" snapped Karla.

"Oh nothing, just to tell you, that the second mission is now your most important; and that you are going the opposite way that your target is going," answered Villa.

"...I...won't...can't...kill him," stammered Karla. Villa raised his eyelids.

"Oh? And why is that?" Villa asked her.

"...I...uh...it's none of your business," she replied.

"Well, then, if you won't kill him, then I'd just have to make you," he said, taking out a black ring with a topaz gem on it. "Now, why don't we put this on..." he said, as he took Karla's hand, and forced the ring onto her ring finger.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Karla screamed in pain as Villa put the ring on her. Apparently, the ring is sending powerful dark energy through her.

"Like it? Jonah's newest invention. This ring makes its wearer go berserk when the wearer sees his or her assigned target," explained Villa.

"NO! TAKE IT OFF!" Karla yelled at him, crying, while trying futilely to take the ring off.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that. It can only be taken off by very powerful magic or when you have killed your target. I must say, this feature is ingenious," commented Villa, who then left with a smoke bomb explosion.

Karla sat there, still crying. '...Hiro...'

'This means I will have to attack him when I see him. I can't allow that. I'll stay as far away as I can from him, and look for that powerful magic that can free me,' she thought, as she headed towards the deserts, far from where the group of warriors is headed.

Mark was woken up by a loud screaming at dusk, coming from the girls' wing. 'That scream sounds familiar...' he thought, as he put on his boots to check the noise out. He also brought a flux and nosferatu tome with him, just in case.

He heard another scream, "HELP! HELP US!" This scream was Hilda's.

'Sh!t,' he thought, as he ran towards the sound of the noise.

Mark heard the sound come out from a closed door. He tried to open it, but it was locked, so he began chanting.

"FLUX!" he yelled, summoning a black ball of energy in front of the door and exploding it. The door flew into the room.

"YEOW!" he heard a man yell. Mark then walked in, to find Hilda and her 3 roommates hiding in the corners or running around, naked. One of her roommates was being raped by another man. There were 4 rapists total.

"FLUX!" Mark yelled again, this time blasting the one that was raping a girl. However, he didn't see the other 2 men behind him. One grabbed his arms from behind and put him into a full nelson hold while the other stood in front of him and started punching the stuffing out of the shaman. The girls yelled for them to stop.

"LITTLE SON OF A B!TCH!" yelled the one punching Mark, as he let loose a punch that made the shaman choke out a lot of blood. The other let go of Mark, and kicked the shaman's back. Mark was on the ground, clutching his stomach. Then the 2 rapists started kicking him. Mark curled up in pain, not being able to do anything in this moment. The girls still begged them to stop.

While the two rapists were busy beating up Mark, Hilda sneaked around to grab her Mend staff. She then ran towards one of the rapists and whacked him hard behind his head with it, knocking him out. However, the other rapist saw this, and attacked Hilda. He ran at her, at took the Mend staff out of her hands, and kicked her in the gut, then he jumped at her. Hilda rolled away, but the rapist got up, and grabbed her, and punched her gut, and groped her. He didn't notice that Mark finally got up. The shaman was hunched a bit, but still standing.

"...NOs...NOSFERATU!" Yelled Mark, as a dark cloud enveloped the rapist and went into him. It then left as a darker cloud, which was then absorbed by Mark. The cloud then proceeded to heal all the shaman's wounds. The rapist lay dead in front of him. He panted, exhausted from the ordeal, and walked back towards his room.

"Those guards..." said one of Hilda's roommates angrily. "Pherae definitely needs to have better guards. Who would have thought that they were going to rape us?" Her companions nodded to agree.

"So...who was that shaman?" asked another roommate. "I know this isn't the best time to talk about this, but he's CUTE!" She then looked around, scanning the surprised faces of her roommates, scared that she could still think about boys after she was just about to get raped.

"So! Is he taken by anyone?" she asked her roommates, who were still shocked, while looking at their faces. Hilda looked down at the ground, blushing a bit. "...Oh, I see," said the girl, grinning a wicked evil smile.

"Are we there yet?" asked Serra.

"For the 543rd time, NO!" replied Hiro and Erk, both very annoyed by the cleric.

"We're only at Kathelet, right, Sain?" Erk asked the cavalier.

"That's right. And Caelin is 10 days away from here if there are no distractions," replied Sain.

"...That's 10 days with Serra too many," commented the mage.

Suddenly, a young boy appears and walked towards the group. "Please, help me!" The boy called to them. Apparently the young boy looked around the age of 12, and had light aquamarine hair, wearing a dark yellow tunic, white pants, brown knee high boots, and a light aquamarine cloak. He ran towards them with maddening speed. He panted when he reached them.

"Please!...Are you mercenaries?" asked the boy.

"And if we are?" asked Lyn.

"I NEED YOUR HELP!" Nils begged her, clinging to her left leg.

"Lady Lyndis, you shouldn't let your guard down, not even for a child," warned Odin.

"..HELP MEH!...It's my sister! Some men have taken her away!"

"Your sister? Did you say your sister has been accosted?" Sain asked the kid with gleaming eyes, which made the young boy back away in fear.

But the boy recovered, and said, "Yes, by some cruel, awful men! I don't know what I'll do without Ninian!"

Sain urged Lyn to go help him.

"Milady Lyndis! This isn't the time! If the marquess was ill as we heard, we must proceed!" urged Kent.

"I want to help this child, Kent. I cannot just let a child be taken away from her home. I am worried about my grandfather, but this... I just can't stand by and just let it happen," Lyndis replied."I'm sorry, Kent."

Kent shook his head. "No need to apologize, milady. "I'm your loyal retainer. You owe me no apologies. You must do as your heart dictates, milady. I will follow you, no matter where that may leads," said Kent.

"Now that that's settled, can you show us where these men are?" Odin asked the kid.

"Follow me! Oh, by the way, my name is Nils," the boy introduced himself.

"Are they the ones? They seem to be looking around pretty hard to find you," commented Hiro, as he saw black armored figures cut down bushes and checking to see if anything is behind them. He froze when he saw a symbol on their shoulders. 'The Black Fang? What would they want with these kids?' he thought. A shaman approached them.

"There you are, boy, it's back to Lord Nergal with you!" commanded the shaman, pointing at Nils.

"No! Let Ninian go!" yelled Nils.

"Listen, we're not supposed to kill you, but we sure can rough you up. GET THEM!" the shaman called for his comrades to prepare. He then summoned a flux spell at Nils. However, before it exploded, a bolt of lightning dissipated the black ball of energy. Then another bolt smote the shaman.

A...figure with long blonde hair, wearing a blue robe and white cloths over them walked towards the group. They couldn't tell the gender of the figure, but judging from the person's lack of cleavage and deep voice, it's a man. "Thank you, stranger," Lyn thanked the man. "Your robes... They look like religious vestiary. Are you an Elimine bishop?" Lyn asked him.

"Yes... Well, no. I'm only an acolyte, an Elimine monk, to be specific. My name's Lucius," answered the monk. "I want to help you...I saw the boy asking everyone at the inn for help, but he was rejected. It is my duty as a monk to help those in need of it."

"...Lyn?" Nils asked her.

"Yes, Nils?"

"...I want to fight too!" he said all of a sudden.

"What? Can you actually fight?" Lyn asked, surprised.

"..Well, no...BUT! I'm a bard, and bards are useful to have around! Music from this special flute can replenish a person's stamina completely! I'll show you!" Nils replied. "Lucius, sir, are you tired from casting those Lightning spells?" he asked the monk.

"Yes, those spells can be tiring," he replied.

"Then let me help!" Nils played a short song on his flute, and a magical aura started to glow around Lucius. When he stopped playing, Lucius looked refreshed.

"Wow, thank you, Nils!" the monk thanked him.

Hiro and Erk dashed towards a shaman, who seemed to be the leader. Sure enough, it was the black fang. "...Black Fang. What are you doing here?" Hiro asked the shaman, Erk was looking a bit puzzled that Hiro knew who they were. He sure as hell didn't.

"...I'm surprised you know of us...wait, you look familiar...ah! One of the Sargus clan members," said the shaman.

"Were you one of the people at the massacre?" Hiro asked him, his hands on the hilt of his sword.

"I was the leader. Their screams of pain...and horror...it was magic," said the shaman, who then laughed.

"YOU BASTARD! On the honor of my clan, I'll kill you! Erk, leave him to ME!" Hiro said angrily. Erk nodded, not wanting to get in the enraged myrmidon's way, and left to help the rest fight off the rest of the assassins.

"You wouldn't have stood a chance back then, what makes you think you'll have one now?" asked the shaman as he launched a flux spell. Hiro back dashed and focused his energy into his Muramasa. Just as the ball was about to explode, he swung his sword like a bat towards the ball. The Muramasa was enveloped in a flaming aura as he did this. The ball of dark energy flew towards the shaman, and exploded on the ground in front of the magician. The shaman, not expecting this, covered his head with his hands to avoid dust from the explosion. The area was now covered in smoke.

"Damn, where is he?" the shaman asked himself. He launched another flux, into the air this time, and exploded it to clear the smoke. He looked around, but Hiro was nowhere to be seen. He looked around wildly. Not seeing a sign of the myrmidon, he relaxed a bit.

'This is for the tribe,' Hiro thought, focusing his energy into his sword, as he is hiding behind a nearby tree, he jumped out behind the shaman stealthily, then took his sword out. The shaman heard the small 'shing!' sound of the blade, and turned around, tome ready. However, he was nowhere quick enough. Hiro dashed at lightning speed and disappeared. The millisecond he did, a sound of blade cutting through flesh was heard. The shaman stopped in his tracks, and choked out blood, and held onto a sword wound in his chest that just suddenly appeared. Then, a split second later, Hiro reappeared on the other side of the shaman. "Backdraft," he whispered, and the shaman burst into a giant explosion of burning flesh. Charred pieces of flesh rained down on the area. "I have avenged you all..." Hiro said, feeling slightly more relaxed.

Matthew walked inside a small house, readying his hands to pillage whatever was inside. To his surprise, he found, HIS BOSS! "Lord Hector!" Matthew greeted his boss, a blue-haired young man of probably 17, wearing white pants, sporting heavy blue armor lined with yellow, with matching metal boots, and a red cloak.

"Matthew? What are you doing here?" Hector greeted Matthew.

"Just selling my services to a noble, milord. Apparently she's the granddaughter of Marquess Caelin. I'm one of the people helping her stop Lundgren. I'm sure you've heard of the inheritance dispute," explained the thief.

"Of course. But is that really the only reason you're helping her?" Hector asked Matthew, squinting his eyebrows. "Okay, you caught me, milord," replied the thief. "Now, if you don't mind..." Matthew jumped out the window again to rejoin the fray.

Serra entered the house that Hector is in, noticing that Matthew just jumped out one of its windows. "EEE! Lord Hector!"

'Oh dear Elimine, not her,' Hector thought, seeing the figure of the pink haired devil at the door.

"Serra, leave me here for now. I'm waiting for a friend, WHO APPARENTLY HAS BEEN LATE FOR ABOUT 8 HOURS!" Hector yelled furiously.

"Hmph! You don't have to yell," Serra huffed, and walked out, slamming the door.

Hector just stood there. '...That was easy...' he thought.

"Where's my sister? Ninian, Ninian!" Nils called out for his sister.

"Milady Lyndis! A villager spotted a group of men riding south!" exclaimed Odin, arriving with new information. "They must have Ninian!" he concluded.

"Then we must give chase!" commanded Lyn.

"But...But...we won't make it in time! What if they already..." Nils stuttered.

A young red haired man walked into the scene. He had a gold headband on, and a blue battle robe, lined with gold on its sides. He had 2 teal shoulder plates on, lined with white on its sides. He had white pants and blue boots on; the boots had a gold line near the top. He also sported a blue cape, which was red in its underside. Most importantly, however, he was holding a girl in his arms. The girl's hair was very long, and some of its locks were tied together by golden rings. It was colored a very light aquamarine, it's almost white. She had a bronze choker on her neck. She has a light aquamarine robe on, and underneath it, a longer dark teal robe. The robes didn't cover her arms. She had a bronze bracelet on her right arm. Also, she had a translucent white silk cloak on, as well as 2 white cloths tied onto her arms. Finally, she had 2 belts tied to her waist. One seemed to be purely for decoration, seeing as it was made of gold pieces. "Is she the one you're looking for?" The young man asked the group.

"She's so beautiful even when unconscious!" commented Sain, with glee in his eyes.

"Sain, behave yourself!" commanded Kent.

"You never let me have any fun," the blonde cavalier replied.

"Are they always like this?" Lucius asked Erk.

"I've only been with them for a few days, but...yeah, I think so." 'What have I gotten myself into?' thought Lucius, shuddering at noticing that Wil and Florina were making...out in the bushes.

"Ninian!" Nils called to the girl.

"She'll be fine, she's just unconscious," said the young man. "I'm Eliwood, son of marquess Pherae," he introduced himself.

"Pherae, you say?" Hiro asked him. "Tell me...have the 2 tacticians arrived there safely?"

"I'm sorry, but I have been away from the castle for the last few days. I heard of their coming, but I don't know if they have made it there or not," the young lord replied.

Hiro looked disappointed. "...I see," he said.

"So that's your story. Marquess Caelin's granddaughter, huh. That's an interesting story," commented Eliwood.

"I know it's hard to believe, but..." Lyn said.

"I believe you. At first, all I saw was a daughter of the plains folk. But I can see that you have your grandfather's eyes," commented Eliwood. "Lord Hausen is my father's good friend. I also know that the proud people of Sacae tell no lies. It's true, isn't it?" he asked Lyn.

"Yes, that's correct," replied the other lord. "Thank you. I wouldn't have expected a Lycian noble to be so courteous to a Sacaean nomad...are you hitting on me?"

'Damn, she's on to me,' thought Eliwood. "Why...that's absurd! That's ... um... very um... un-noble like and stuff...to woo women right away like this. Anyways, may I be of any assistance?"

Lyn shook her head. "Thank you for your kind offer. This is my problem, though, and I'll deal with it," she replied.

"I see. I'll be in the area for a few days longer. If you need anything, please let me know. Lyndis, I'm on your side," offered Eliwood.

"Thank you," Lyn thanked him, and left.

"Ninian! Are you all right!" Nils asked his sister as she just came to.

"...Nils? Is it really you? Oh, you're safe!" exclaimed Ninian, obviously relieved that her brother is safe.

"I'm okay. These people helped me!" Nils explained. Ninian got up.

"...Thank you everyone, I'm sorry to have a burden to you," Ninian apologized.

"There's no need for thank yous. I'm just glad you're all right. My name is Lyn," Lyn introduced herself, and told Ninian what happened.

"I see. Thank you. You see, me and my brother are traveling performers," Ninian explained.

"Both of you? We know that Nils is a bard, so what do you do, Ninian?" Sain asked. "I...I...dance..." said a very scared Ninian, noticing a voluptuous look in Sain's eyes.

"How much for...OW!" yelled Sain, as Kent and Odin smacked him upside the head.

"ANYWAYS! Your clothes don't look like those of a dancer's," Lyn noticed.

"...Ninian also dances to honor life. The dance that uses these robes are...sacred," Nils explained.

"But she also does THOSE dances, ri...OW!" Sain asked again, only to get smacked again by Kent and Odin.

"A sacred dance? What does that mean?" asked a confused Lyn.

"I... The dance I perform when we travel is just a normal dance. My other dance, though... When they caught me, I twisted my ankle. I cannot dance to aid you... I'm sorry. It's just like Nils' magic song when played from his flute; it can revitalize a person's stamina," she explained.

"I'm really worried about your leg. You can't travel on it," Lyn noted.

"Can we travel with you then?" Nils suggested.

"What? No! I can't allow that! It's far too dangerous! Like you, we are also being hunted!" Lyn explained.

"We wouldn't be a hindrance! We could even help you, with our special abilities! Right Ninian?" Nils asked his sister, with Lyn looking a bit confused.

"We have a...special talent... to sense danger before it comes," Ninian explained.

"That's amazing!" Lyn explained.

"However, we can sense it, but...we can't do anything to stop the danger. You're warriors, though, so you shouldn't have anything to worry about," Nils said.

"Kent? Odin? What do you think?" Lyn asked them.

"I think leaving them here would cause Lady Lyndis more worry than having them travel with us," commented Odin.

"I agree," Kent nodded his head in agreement.

"Sain?...Wait, nevermind..." Lyn said. Sain dashed up to Ninian.

"Since you'll be traveling with us, will you dance your ...OW!" Sain was smacked hard by Odin, Kent, and Lyn this time. "Are you sure about this?" Lyn asked the pair worriedly.

"...Of course milady. We'll just have to ignore the hormone crazed cavalier away from my sister..." commented Nils.

"Oh..." Ninian said, looking disappointed.

"What is it, Ninian?" Nils asked her.

"I lost the ring," she said. "THE ring? Ninis' Grace?" Nils asked her.

"Yes, that one," she replied.

"Why... they must have stolen it from her those curs!" Nils cursed.

"It was a...keepsake from our departed mother," Ninian explained.

"It was blessed by the spirit of Ninis... There's no other like it in the world. And now we have lost it to those villains. There's nothing we can do," Nils said, also looking disappointed.

"You want to help them, right, Lyndis?" Hiro asked the lord.

"Yes, but...how? We just don't have that much time?"

"Hey, don't worry about it. If we leave now, we might catch up to them," Hiro suggested. "OKAY TROOPS! WE'RE MOVING OUT!"

"Thank you, milady, for helping us," Ninian thanked Lyn. "It's all right. Thank us after we get your ring back," Lyn said.

Meanwhile, somewhere VERY far away...

"But, Father! They could be in danger out there! We need to find them now!" a young black dragon begged his father, a large silver dragon.

"I'm sorry, Kuro, but it is forbidden. You know the rules," he replied.

"...Please father, I beg of you to let me go out there and look for her..." pleaded Kuro.

"I'm sorry Kuro," the silver dragon answered.

'If he won't let me go, I'll go myself,' thought Kuro. 'I don't need his permission. I'll just leave like those 2 siblings did. Ninian, I hope you're all right...I don't know what to do without you...'

"So, you're leaving?" a navy blue scaled female dragon asked Kuro as he neared the gate.

"You're going to try to convince me to not do it, Serene?" Kuro asked her.

"No, your father asked me to accompany you instead. Lord Xiphias knows how hotheaded you can be, Kuro," she replied.

"...Thank you, Serene," Kuro thanked her, as he took a small golden necklace, with an amethyst in the middle, as well as a sword. "Let's go."

The two exited the dimensional gate as humans. However, they were naked, because they used a different, older gate than the one Ninian and Nils used. Those were only usable by ice dragons. Serene is an ice dragon, but if she took those gates, she would be separated from Kuro, and she wouldn't allow that. "...okay... Kuro, stop staring at me. What would Ninian do if she saw?" Kuro looked away at his friend's question. "Well, I think Ninian will be VERY happy to know that her secret admirer has a long..." Serene said, but was interrupted by Kuro.

"OKAY, OKAY! I'm not going to look! Now, to find some clothes..." Kuro said. "You don't look too, okay?"

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End Lyn's tale chapter 7**

Next: chapter 7 Gaiden!

Kuro, btw, is partly based on me. First thing, is his name, which is based off my nick. Second...well, his personality is a bit like mine. Serene is also based off those anime girl best friends of a random guy, usually in a bouncy cleavage anime. Kuro is a bit of a hothead, like me. I usually don't think before I act. Serene is also a bit cynical, and is a little bit of a tomboy.

Sacred Swords:

Muramasa: sword of Fire, gem: Ruby, Hiro's

Diabolique: sword of Ice, gem: Sapphire, Karla's

Ragnarok: sword of Wind, gem: Emerald, Kyo's

Zantetsuken: sword of Lightning, gem: Obsidian (okay, it's not really a gem), Odin's

Harusame: sword of Anima, gem: Amethyst, Kuro's

Kikuichimonji: sword of Dark, gem: Diamond, owner unknown

Orihalcum: sword of Light, gem: Orihalcon, owner unknown


	12. Lyn 7x: The Black Shadow

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or whatever.

New stats:

Mark: Shaman: Weapons: Flux, Nosferatu

Kuro: Lord/ Mamkute: Weapons: Harusame? Stone

Serene: Grappler/ Mamkute: Weapons: Bare hands, Blue Stone, (can also use swords)

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Lyn's tale Chapter 7 Gaiden: The Black Shadow**

"I'm back," Kyo greeted Eiji. "...Where's Fiaa?"

"Oh. She thought you were gone for too long, so she went out looking for you," Eiji told him.

"...I was gone for only 5 days...," commented Kyo.

"Apparently she's a paranoid one," Eiji replied.

Elsewhere:

"WHAT? You let your son and Serene out into the human world?" an old silver dragon asked Xiphias.

"You think I, or anyone else here, could stop him? If you did, you don't know my son very well," Xiphias replied.

"That's true, but...how about Serene!" asked the other dragon.

"Don't worry, Rodrek, they are far stronger than they look. Also, I think it will be a good experience for Kuro. He doesn't like being trapped in this land the most out of all of us," Xiphias explained. "Besides, he has the Harusame, one of the swords made from Lord Bahamut's blessings, right? He could take care of both of them."

'Well, what's this? Hmmm...Lord Alveen will be most pleased to hear of this,' thought a dragon that was listening to the conversation.

"Well, what now?" Serene asked Kuro. "We're butt naked, you got a boner from looking at me, and we don't know where to go."

"...Hush, you. We will rob the next passerby. Look, there comes a pair now!" Kuro exclaimed, as they hid in the bushes. A young man and woman, looking like a noble couple, walked down the path. Kuro used one of his sword's many spells, 'Crono Break,' he whispered. The Harusame, a silver bladed sword with a rainbow colored hilt, glowed a bright purple, and the couple was enveloped in a black veil, and then they stopped moving. Kuro took this chance to steal their clothes.

"I must admit, while streaking was fun, this is much better," Serene commented. She had a ribbon tied to the back of her short blue hair. She wore a short hunter's skirt, colored dark blue. She had a blue and white top, which revealed her navel. She wore long brown leather boots. "...No comment," Kuro said. He was now wearing a dark blue cloak, with a black shirt underneath, and white pants and black boots. He attached his Harusame to his new brown belt. He pushed his short white hair down to cover his purple eyes. "Well, we're off," Kuro said. "I can smell their scent from here, although it's rather faint."

Black Fang headquarters one:

"Where are we?" Serene asked her companion. "I don't know. But this place has their scent all over it. You can smell it too, right?" Kuro asked her.

"What the? Intruders?" a guard on the second floor of the building Kuro and Serene are in noticed the 2 dragons. "Hey...aren't those dragon wings?" another guard asked him. Mamkutes, or at least a few species of them, can't hide their wings while in their human forms. Yellow dragons (Myrhh from FE:SS), Fire dragons, and half-breed dragons can't hide their wings. Kuro was the son of a black and silver dragon, while Serene was the daughter of a yellow and ice dragon.

"We'll nab them for the boss. Maybe we'll get a raise," said the first guard.

Ice dragons have acute hearing senses. Serene heard the guards' conversation, and told Kuro, who put his hand on the hilt of his Harusame. The guards entered the room. "Halt! Who are you, and state your business!" The first one yelled at them.

Serene smirked. "Oh, but you already know who we are, and we also know your business. Good luck trying to catch us," she said.

The 2 brigands dashed at them. Kuro unsheathed his Harusame. "Heavensplitter," he said, as one of the brigands dashed up to him. Kuro dashed at the brigand at supersonic speed, and just before he crashed into the big figure, he swung his sword upwards, now glowing purple with anima energy, and flew up high with it, cutting the brigand in 2 neatly sliced halves. Serene dodged the other brigand's axe, then grabbed his head, and kneed it hard. The bandit reeled backwards, and Serene gave the bandit a flying kick to the stomach, making him fly backwards into a wall. Kuro then dashed at the brigand and punched him in the gut.

"Who are you? Why do you want to capture us?" Kuro asked the brigands.

"...I don't know. It was our boss's orders to capture any dragons that came into this land," answered the brigand.

"You're useless," Serene commented, as Kuro left in the way of the siblings' scent again.

Black Fang Headquarters 2:

"You failed, Beyard. You know what the punishment is," a female voice said to him.

"...I know, but please, give me another chance. I'll get those siblings, milady," begged the mercenary.

"Make sure that you do."

Kuro and Serene finally reached Kathelet, as they soon found out after asking one of its citizens. They had a hard time hiding their wings under their clothes. Kuro had to buy Serene a cloak from the money he stole from the couple so she could cover her wings. "Damn, this is so uncomfortable," commented Serene.

"There was a battle here recently..." commented Kuro, noticing the faintest hint of charred flesh. "I...someone used one of the sacred swords here; I can feel its power still resonating. He was...angry, like he wanted revenge."

"There must be a lot of enemies inside, so we should be careful. We need to spread out our units. Florina, you go with Wil, Erk, and Rath, Serra, and Dorcas. The cavaliers, Lucius, Lyn, and I, will go in another group. We'll be protecting Nils and Ninian...actually, Erk, you guys take Ninian with you. Who knows what Sain's going to do if we have her with us," Hiro instructed. "Be very careful people."

Kuro and Serene flew in the woods following the siblings' scent. Just above the treetops, no one could see them except Pegasus or wyvern knights. And luckily for them, neither one were up flying in the area that day. They sped up when Kuro found that the scent is still new, and that the siblings were nearby.

Wil, Rath, and Erk, recently discovered a new trick. Erk can enchant their arrows with fire magic, so they could now fire burning arrows in a rain of fire. Wil and Rath shot their arrows, and as the arrows were shot, those arrows split into about 8 arrows each, and when they hit, they exploded on the enemy. They easily cleared their path for them to travel.

The cavaliers were having a hard time fighting in tight spaces. Lucius had to protect them with his lightning magic to fight off any incoming fireballs and flux spells.

"Odin, Lyn, you go for the leader. We'll hold the rest back. I think he's in that room with the double doors. Nils, I want you to go with them to give them support with your music, but I want you to be very careful," Hiro instructed. Odin put Lyn and Nils on the back of his horse, and rode towards the room.

'Getting closer...much closer,' thought Kuro. 'The sword wielder...he was with Ninian?'

'What's this? A type of energy similar to my sword and Odin's...another sword?' Hiro thought as he felt the Harusame's aura. He then cleared his path, and went towards the front of the temple to meet the other group. He could somehow sense that the sword's wielder was coming for Ninian.

Kuro and Serene descended and landed in front of the black fang stronghold. "...They're here, I can smell them. But so is that other sword user...wait, there are 2 swords here," Kuro said. "I'm worried. If those swordsmen are the enemy, we wouldn't stand a chance." A figure walked out. It was a black haired swordsman with red eyes and blue battle robes, but most importantly, in his hands, was the sword of fire.

"...Are you part of the Black Fang?" Hiro asked the 2 dragons. He was surprised to see that they had wings. Kuro shook his head. "Then why are you looking for Ninian?" Hiro asked him.

Kuro was surprised. 'How did he...'

"You also wield one of the sacred swords. I can, for some reason sense your motives. However, if you came here to capture her or harm her in any way, I can't let you pass," Hiro told them.

"...We're here to rescue her and take her and her brother back to their homes," Kuro told him.

"...I see. And where would that be?" Hiro asked, interested.

"...That's nothing to talk about now. They are just wanted back there, that is all," Kuro replied.

"Then come with us. We're doing what we can to get back this ring called Ninis' Grace for the siblings," Hiro told them.

'The Ninis' Grace was stolen?' Kuro thought, as Hiro waved for the 2 to follow him.

"How do we know this isn't a trap?" Serene asked.

"Relax. I can feel that he isn't lying. The sword is telling me," replied Kuro.

"Oh, well in that case, excellent. I want to tell him he's hot and ask him for a date," Serene said.

"...Maybe we should have brought one of your girlfriends along..." commented Kuro, as he dashed into the building.

'Damn, pull yourself together, Beyard,' the mercenary thought. 'Don't let them kill you now.' Then Odin, Lyn, and Nils barged into his room. 'What luck, the boy is also here!'

Villa walked into the headquarters, and hid on a windowsill in Beyard's room to survey the fight.

Lyn jumped off Odin's sword, and ran at the mercenary. Beyard dashed towards Lyn; he was going to guard her blow and body check her, and kill her when she's stunned. However, Lyn rolled aside. Odin's horse galloped towards Beyard, and Odin has unsheathed his sword. He swung his sword with great power. Beyard tried to block it, but was thrown backwards by the sheer force of the swing. 'Damn,' the mercenary thought. 'That one's strong.'

Lyn dashed at Beyard again. Beyard did a horizontal swing, but Lyn slid through his legs as he swung. She then stood up, and gave the mercenary a jumping kick to his chest as he turned around. Beyard, however, was tough enough to take the strike, and grabbed her leg in midair. He then dropped his sword, and used his other free hand to grab Lyn's leg. Then he swung her around like a windmill, not allowing Odin to get near, then tossed the lord at the cavalier.

"Lady Lyndis!" Odin realized that the enemy tossed Lyn into him because he had his sword out, ready to stab Lyn when she crashed into him. "DAMN!" He dropped his sword, and jumped off his horse to grab Lyn. He made a perfect catch, catching the dizzy lord in his arms, bridal style, and rolled on the ground. Beyard dashed at him as he got up. He jumped away, and put Lyn on the ground. He then ran at the mercenary.

Beyard swung his sword vertically at Odin, thinking that the cavalier has gone mad to charge at him unarmed, and relaxed a bit. Odin, however, caught the blade with the palms of his hands, a trick he learned from Hiro. (Those samurai blade catching tricks) Odin held onto the blade tightly, and kicked Beyard in the gut hard, making the mercenary lose his grip on his Steel Sword.

'Oh crap,' thought Beyard. Odin then swung his newly acquired sword low at Beyard's leg. The mercenary couldn't dodge in time, and was severely wounded in the leg. He was unable to continue fighting, and he knew it. "STOP! MERCY!" he begged the cavalier. Odin stopped.

"Give us the ring back," Odin told the man. "And we'll spare you." Beyard took the ring out from his pocket, and gave it to Odin. "...Who are you people?" Odin asked the man. Beyard was about to answer, but was silenced by a dagger that went into the back of his head. "Who's there?" Odin yelled.

"Why, no one but a humble assassin," Villa said as he walked out of the shadows. Odin got into a fighting stance, he knew the assassin was there to fight. "Such a poor fellow. He forgot that failure means death. Oh well. Hmm?" Villa said, noticing that Odin is in a fighting stance. "Straight to the point, aren't we? This is amusing. You think that you would even stand a chance against me, The Devil's Talon?" Odin said nothing "You seem very determined to protect that boy. Why?" Villa asked the cavalier. "...None of your business," Odin replied. "...Or is it the beautiful maiden there you are bent on protecting? I would, if I were you, because I would love to taste the blood of young girls I killed when I lick that delicious liquid off my sword..." Villa commented. Odin raised his eyelids a bit. Villa noticed this, and said, "Bingo."

"Odin and Lyn should be done by now. Let's go check on them," Erk said, as he gathered the rest of the group. They split up to look for Lyn and Odin.

"AGH!" Odin yelled in pain, as he was stabbed in the gut. He never saw the assassin coming at him; he just disappeared and reappeared. Odin collapsed on the ground, clutching his wound, obviously in pain. "Now, come with me, boy," said Villa, as he walked towards Nils.

"We should go check up on Odin and Lyn now, they should be done by now," Hiro said, motioning for Kuro and Serene to follow him.

The group, except for Hiro, of course, didn't know where Lyn and Odin were. So they split up. Ninian limped towards the double doors with great difficulty, as the other people went searching for Lyn, Odin, and Nils.

Shortly after Ninian went in, Hiro arrived at the double doors. "Ninian...she just went inside. I can smell her," Kuro said instinctively. "...Smell?" Hiro looked at him, puzzled.

"Um...yeah. Um...woops," Serene said, while thinking up of an excuse, her wings spread out. She always did that when she was thinking up something.

"...Cool," Hiro said, "...I'd like you people to tell me who the hell you are after we're done with this."

Kuro sighed, 'Busted,' he thought. At least he wouldn't have to explain now.

The sight shocked the newcomers. Ninian was clutching Nils, horrified at the sight of the injured Odin. Lyn was still out cold. Villa slowly walked towards them, a wicked smile on his face. "Don't you dare move!" Kuro yelled at the assassin. Villa turned towards him. Hiro recognized the assassin's face.

"...You again," Hiro said coldly.

"...Hiro, wasn't it? I see that the one we assigned to kill you hasn't found you yet," Villa commented, then walked towards the siblings again.

"Don't you dare touch Ninian!" Kuro yelled, and the siblings looked at him. They have never seen the Lord before, but from his voice, they knew it was Kuro.

"...Kuro?" Ninian meekly said, blushing a bit.

"Ah, yes, the girl," Villa said. "No, I won't harm her, but only take her." Serene took this time to get Odin to drink up a vulnerary.

"Don't move an inch!" Kuro commanded.

"...Or what?" Villa asked him coldly. Hiro put his arm out in front of Kuro to hold the lord back.

"No. You get Ninian, Nils, and Lyn out of here. He's mine," Hiro told him. Kuro resisted the urge to just go attack the assassin, but he knew better, after seeing the big cavalier wounded so badly and that the enemy hasn't even been hurt. He went towards Ninian. He carried her in his arms, and beckoned for Nils to follow him.

"Good luck, Hiro."

"Are you all right, Ninian?" Kuro asked her.

"...Yes, thank you," Ninian replied. "Why did you come?"

"We thought you two were in danger after being gone for so long, so Serene and I decided to look for you," Kuro explained. "I hope everything's okay."

"...Now that they're gone, I want to learn about this other assassin," Hiro said to Villa. "Ah yes, I thought you might be interested," replied Villa. "Beautiful girl. Part Sacaean, part- something from another continent, I believe. A myrmidon just like yourself, but she also seems to be a pretty good fencer. Long, jet black hair, pretty and innocent face, and purple eyes. Good sense of fashion too, I might add."

"...Why me, of all people? I'm just a lowly tactician," Hiro asked.

"...Boss's orders. Can't really go against them, or we get killed. But this girl, your assassin. She seemed really determined not to fight you. Well, since I'm the one who's going to kill you now, I might as well tell you who she is. She was sold to the Black Fang by her father when she was just a baby, along with her brother, who escaped a few years later. We had the perfect plan set up for this girl... her mission was to take over the throne of the Chijan empire, and then we could use its powerful magicians and swordsmen to our might."

"Chijan? ..." Hiro asked.

"You look Sacaean, but there' no doubt that you're originally Chijan; bracelet screams out Chijan warrior. Anyways, her name is Karla. We gave the girl eye lenses to change her eye color to blue. We told her of the plan, we sent her to live with a Lord Yamato of Castle Nagasaki, leader of the Chijan alliance," Villa explained.

Hiro raised his eyebrows.

"And all she had to do was play the part of a little princess until her adoptive father died. We were grateful that Lord Yamato died in a bandit raid, but that hired army from Bern had to get in our way. Power hungry Chijan nobles bought their services. So, the girl, unable to continue her mission, set out to Elibe to get help, and find her adoptive brother. This adoptive brother was a young green haired wyvern rider, I believe. And the girl's alias while she was there was...hmmm...it escapes me at the moment..."

"...Mitsuna..." Hiro muttered.

"Ah, yes, that's it! I'm amazed that you knew! Oh...wait, she also learned some strategizing skills at the tacticians' guild. You must have met her there. Only in her fake identity, though," Villa thought out loud.

"...No.. She would never do that. The Mitsuna I know would never work with the likes of you..." Hiro said in disbelief. "I don't believe it."

"Well, believe it, boy. She has to work to pay off the debt her father has to us," Villa said.

"...Even if she was, she would never kill me..." Hiro said.

"...That little problem has been fixed by something we would like to call mind control," Villa grinned. "You know, I wondered why she was so bent on not killing you, or even fighting you! You would be an easy kill, as you would be for me! So then after some thought, I figured out that you two are lovers, am I right?"

"...Damn...DAMN IT! This is all a lie! You're...just lying to me!" Hiro shook his head.

"Heh. You look pathetic. Looks like you two are lovers. Well, this just makes it even more interesting. Looks like I'll spare you for today, and let her kill you instead," Villa said, as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"...No... It can't be true...can it?" Hiro asked himself, kneeling on the ground. Kuro walked in to check on the myrmidon, to see him kneeling, in shock.

"...You okay?" asked the lord.

"...No...I'll be out there in a moment," Hiro replied.

"So that's your story, huh," Kuro commented. Hiro told him and the other dragons about his past, Mitsuna's side of the story, and what Villa said.

"I...I don't think it's true. It can't be true," Hiro said.

"But it probably is. What that assassin said fit perfectly with your girlfriend's story," Kuro replied.

"..."

"Heh, damn. Looks like he's taken," Serene said to Ninian as they walked away from the campfire. The girls then moved to Lyn's, Serra's and Florina's fire, and gossiped.

"I'm okay now. I just need some sleep," Hiro commented, and went to his tent. 'It can't be true...' he thought as he fell asleep.

"So he's your tactician? I must say, he's good, if what you tell me is true. Heh. However, I didn't think he would be one to give you advice on girls, in the state that he's in now," Kuro commented.

"I know. He's taking this really badly," Erk replied.

Karla was fiddling the Hero Crest and Ocean Seal the old man gave him. Apparently, he was a collector of these things and he wanted her to have these. Now, Karla only needed money to survive. She decided she'll travel around the continent's arenas, hoping that she won't run into Hiro.

"...Mark?" Hilda knocked on the shaman's room's door. Mark got out of bed groggily.

"...Oh man, don't you know what time it is?" he grumbled.

"...Please, open the door. It's Hilda."

"All right."

Mark opened the door, and then Hilda immediately ran inside and closed the door. When Mark was going to ask her what was going on, Hilda put her finger on his lips. "Hush, or they might hear you. I overheard the guards today. They said that they were going to attempt another rape today. It seems that the castle guards are part of a bandit group that's here to rape women. This is really bad; the marquess and his son are out on errands and we can't call on them for help," she explained.

"...What do you want me to do?" Mark asked her.

Kyo left again for Pherae after packing up to catch up to Fiaa. He's now already near Pherae. On the way, however, he saw a group of brigands in the forest, heading towards the castle. 'That's not good...but why? Oh, wait, the marquess and his son aren't in today,' he thought, hurrying towards the castle. 'I can probably warn the castle of these brigands.'

Fiaa arrived a few days ago to find that Kyo already left. She decided to stay to do some shopping. When she went back to her room she rented at the castle, she saw something move in the forest. '...Torches? Who could that be?...Bandits?' she thought, noticing that all of the people moving with torches were carrying weapons and large empty sacks. She headed towards the stables.

"...Hey, isn't that Mitsuna's brother?" Hilda asked Mark, as Kyo arrived at the castle gates. Mark was going to attack the disguised bandits before their whole gang arrives.

"Oh, crap," Mark said.

Fiaa notices that a wyvern has just landed at the front gate. '...Kyo? Did he come for me?'

"Guards!" Kyo called towards the guards. 'Damn! Our buddies will arrive soon!' thought one of the disguised bandits. "There are bandits headed this way! You might want to set up the castles' defenses."

The bandits took up their lances and attacked Kyo. "Hey!" Kyo tugged Noah's reins to fly. 'So these 4 are working with the bandits,' he thought. 'Damn it.'

"Let's help him," said Mark, coming out of the shadows. "FLUX!" he yelled, summoning a black ball of energy in front of one of the bandits, and exploding it.

"Looks like I'm not alone in this fight," Kyo said to himself, diving at another bandit, slicing him in half with the Ragnarok.

Fiaa dived down at another bandit at lightning speed, and impaled her Iron Lance on his chest. Mark blasted the last bandit with another flux.

"Fiaa!" Kyo called to the peg knight as he jumped off Noah to greet her. Fiaa jumped off Brilliante and glomped him.

"ACK! BONES!" Kyo yelled in pain, being hugged so fiercely by the Pegasus knight.

"I was so worried about you! Why didn't you tell me you were going?" Fiaa asked him.

"I didn't think I would take so long. Sorry if I worried you. I came back to see if you were all right," Kyo explained.

"...Thanks," Fiaa replied.

"...Could you let go now? My bones are hurting," Kyo pleaded.

Fiaa blushed a deep red. "...Right...um, sorry," she apologized.

"Kyoshiro Yamato?" Hilda asked the wyvern rider as she and Mark walked up to Kyo and Fiaa.

"...That's me," he replied. "How do you know me?"

"Mitsuna told us about you. Thank you for your aid in helping us get rid of these bandits," Hilda thanked the 2 flyers.

"No problem, but there are more bandits coming this way," Kyo warned them.

"...I'll stay here and help," Fiaa offered.

"If you're staying, so am I," Kyo told her. "I'm not returning to Ostia empty-handed."

"...What the? There's nobody outside? Could they have forgotten?" one of the bandits asked his leader.

"Impossible. They're probably just asleep inside. At least they left the door open for us. We'll just wake them up and start after that," said the leader.

The leader went through the gate himself. He looked around, and saw nothing. He was about to walk out when his head was sliced off by the Ragnarok.

"...Boss is taking too long. I think they got him. We should go inside and help," suggested a bandit, and they all went inside.

"Funny, nobody here. Not boss or any of those scouts," commented one of the bandits.

"What's that?" a bandit asked, seeing a gleam of green light from the ceiling. Then a whole group of bandits were sliced in half at the hips by a giant green gale.

"What the! What sorcery is this?" one of the bandits yelled in fear. He went into a dark corner, hoping that no one would notice him. He failed to see the shaman to his left, who cast a Nosferatu and sucked the life out of the bandit.

The bandits were spread out by Kyo's attacked. One went into a dark corner, and Fiaa jumped off Brilliante, straddling the bandit's face, and sat on it, until the bandit suffocated. Hilda whacked a bandit hard on the back of the head with her staff, then impaled him with his own dagger. Mark silently sniped the bandits with Nosferatus. Then, only 2 brigands and 2 archers were left. They regrouped in the middle of the hallway, very scared.

Fiaa came out of the shadows and tossed a javelin, killing one of the archers. Mark drained another brigand's life, and Kyo sliced through the other brigand. However, the other archer saw Hilda and shot at her, and she was shot in the leg, and she had to retreat.

"Hilda!" Mark ran towards her.

'Okay, only 2 fliers left, this shouldn't be too hard,' thought the archer. He took out an arrow, and aimed for Fiaa. Brilliante saw the arrow, and panicked, making Fiaa lose control and fall off.

"Fiaa!" Kyo yelled, as he saw Fiaa fall off Brilliante thirty feet in the air, close to the hall's ceiling. Fiaa could survive the fall, she and Kyo knew, but she didn't know that the archer was aiming at her, not Brilliante. Then Kyo saw the archer shoot the arrow at Fiaa. "NO!"

Time slows down significantly. The arrow is moving at snail's pace. '...what's going on?' thought Kyo. He noticed that only he and Noah were moving normally. Then he saw that the Ragnarok was glowing. 'This must be one of its abilities,' he thought. Knowing what he needed to do, he guided Noah towards the arrow, and grabbed it. Then time went back to normal. He then spun Noah around to dive towards Fiaa. He dropped the arrow and caught Fiaa as she fell.

'...WHAT!' the archer thought. He just saw the wyvern rider grab his arrow from about 20 meters away, at lightning speed, and grab the Pegasus knight. "Grr..." he growled, frustrated. He prepared to shoot another arrow, but was blasted by a flux spell.

"Thank you for your assistance. You'll both stay here for the night?" one of the maids asked Kyo and Fiaa, and both nodded. The maid went to prepare their rooms.

"...I'm sorry, I must apologize for this. Apparently, the only bedroom left was the one Miss Fiaa was about to leave today, and it has only one bed. I'm afraid you two will have to both sleep there," the maid apologized.

Kyo and Fiaa gaped. 'I get to sleep with Fiaa! AWESOME! But I can't look like I want to do it, or she'll kill me,' thought Kyo, as he continued his fake gape, trying to keep it from going into a smile. Fiaa was red as a tomato.

They walked towards Fiaa's room. "...I'll sleep on the ground if you want," Kyo offered as they entered the room.

"Um...I don't think you should...There's no extra mattresses..." Fiaa replied still blushing.

"You know, you sound like you actually want to sleep with me," Kyo commented, smiling a bit. 'At least she didn't agree to the offer; this is a good sign,' he thought, noticing that Fiaa blushed a deeper red. He could feel the heat of embarrassment rising out of her face.

Kyo took off his armor and stripped down into his underpants, too tired to think if Fiaa will care or not if she saw him like this, and went under the covers on the side closest to the wall. He failed to notice that Fiaa's face became redder. "Um...can you turn around?" Fiaa asked Kyo, trying not to look at his abs.

"...Huh? Oh, okay," Kyo turned around, realizing what Fiaa wants to do. She stripped down to her bra and panties, and got under the covers on Kyo's left side.

"Good night," Kyo said while yawning, and immediately went to sleep. Fiaa replied with a meek good night, and looked at the sleeping wyvern knight beside her. 'He sleeps so soundly, the trip to Ostia and back right away must be exhausting. And he had to fight bandits, too,' she thought. 'He came back for me...'

Kyo was actually only half asleep. He's having a hard time keeping his libido under control with the beautiful girl sleeping right beside him. He couldn't really sleep, so he turned around to look at her. As he finished turning around, his left hand accidentally rested between Fiaa's thighs and his other hand on one of her breasts. Being half awake, he didn't notice this at first, until he felt it. '...Soft,' he thought. 'Wait...soft?' he asked himself, squeezing with both hands.

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO LOCK ME OUTSIDE THE ROOM YOU, KNOW! THE FLOOR WOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH! AND HOW ABOUT GIVING ME MY CLOTHES, IT'S COLD OUT HERE! FIAA! Fiaa! ...Fiaa?"

Hilda was out in the hallway, looking outside a window, when she saw Mark, who asked her to take a walk with him. She agreed. They saw Kyo, in his boxers, get thrown out of his room. "...Let's go this way," Mark said, sweatdropping, and guided Hilda into a dark hallway.

"You wanted to talk to me about something earlier?" Mark asked the priestess.

"...Oh yes. I wanted to do this," Hilda grabbed his head and kissed him deeply.

"...Wow," Mark said, "...I'm speechless."

"I know," Hilda replied, and embraced him tightly, and Mark embraced her back, and they kissed, and didn't move from that position until the sun rose again.

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**End Lyn's Tale Chapter 7 Gaiden.**

**R&R People, even a newbie needs love!**


	13. Lyn 8: Vortex of Strategy

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever.

Lyn's 8th chapter, w00t. Smaller update than usual because there's not much going on here.

Okay, changing names of the 2 last swords:

Einharjar: Sword of light, gem: Orihalcon: owner: guess

Etherion: Sword of darkness, gem: diamond: Owner to be determined

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THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

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Lyn's Tale Chapter 8: Vortex of Strategy**

"A small group of brigands? Erk, just fry them, we're all to sleepy to do anything," Hiro instructed the mage.

"Got it, chief," replied Erk, as he blasted the bandits with fireballs, burning those that didn't escape. "I love the smell of barbequed humans in the morning," said a satisfied Erk, who grinned sadistically.

"People will think you're a cannibal. You're scaring Florina, too," commented Hiro, who noticed that Florina was cowering behind Wil.

"Hey, I need stress relief. Serra made sleep right outside her tent, and it was cold as hell at night, because HER TENT IS SO FRIKKIN FAR FROM THE CAMPFIRE! I couldn't make another one because she went all 'protect the trees' on me," Erk said, a bit angrily. "SHEESH!"

Dragon Lands:

"...Lord Alveen," a dragon greeted the great fire dragon lord.

"I've heard that those 2 have left. Things aren't looking good for us; Lady Idoun is dying from childbirth," Alveen said.

"...But Idoun Jr. was born 50 years ago, milord," said the first dragon. "Is the process of cloning really this bad to the body?"

"Apparently so," Alveen replied. "But it does not matter if Idoun dies or not. Her clone will do much more than take over."

"...Rodrak, my son," Xiphias called to him.

"...Yes father?" The young silver dragon asked his father.

"I fear Alveen maybe planning something, now that our sword of protection, the Harusame, is gone. Be prepared to fight the fire dragons at any moment."

"...Yes father," Rodrak nodded.

"...come here, Idoun," Alveen coaxed a young black dragon. She came to him quietly. "Time to see how strong you truly are. We attack the light dragons today," he said to her, and she just nodded.

Karla reached an arena. 'I think I'll stay and get a job here for now.' She walked through the front gates to apply.

"Magvel? Sweet," Ian said, after being briefed on his mission by Mua. "Lina, let's pack up and get on the boat heading there tomorrow. And can I ask you a favor?" The orange haired girl nodded. "Will you lend some space in your backpack for some alcoholic beverages in case I get thirsty on the road?"

"...No, since I don't want to be carrying your drunk ass around the whole continent of Magvel," replied the archer.

"Damn," said a disappointed Ian.

"We're only 2 days away from reaching Castle Caelin now," Odin told the group.

"YES!" Erk jumped for joy, but then sighed. "But I still have to escort Serra to Ostia after that...this blows."

"Can you make them stop talking about guys? It's making me feel...I don't know, unloved," Wil commented.

"But you're the one with a girlfriend. And she's scared of guys, to boot," Erk replied.

When Ninian was about to say something, she stopped in mid-sentence, and stopped in her tracks. "Lyn...danger approaches..." she just said in a trance, simultaneously with Nils.

"I don't see anything. Are you sure?" Lyn asked them.

"Milady, don't move!" Odin warned as he heard something zoom down from the sky.

A bolt was stuck in the ground on the spot where Lyn would be if she had walked a few more steps, and she was paralyzed with fear.

"WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!" Lyn shrieked.

"They have a ballista!" Sain remarked.

"Lord Lundgren must be getting serious. Deploying siege weapons is no mean feat," added Kent.

"Ballista?" Lyn looked confused.

"It's a weapon made for distance attacks. It's really just a large bow, but it can be shot much farther and with much more force than a bow," Odin explained.

"So it's just a bow. Well, the best way to take care of ranged units is to hit them with melee. So we'll just have to rush in hard and fast, and take the users down," Hiro remarked.

"I've seen these things before. Wil, I want you to operate it when we take over one," he instructed. "It's just a really big bow."

"Hiro, Lady Lyndis?" Matthew asked them.

"Yes, what is it?" Lyn replied.

"...I have some...business to attend to. I'll be back soon, so leave some for me, all right?" Matthew then dashed off into the distance.

"So that's a ballista. It looks dangerous," Lyn commented, as she, Hiro, and Wil snuck around towards the first one that shot at Lyn.

"It's useless in close combat. We'll just have to take that archer down first," Hiro remarked. The three sneaked behind the archer. "Wil, do it," Hiro instructed.

"Here goes nothing," Wil said as he aimed for the enemy archer's head, and shot. It hit its mark perfectly and the enemy archer slumped down motionless, quietly. Wil got on the ballista. "Now, go get Florina to scout from the air," Hiro instructed.

Florina told Wil of the enemies' locations. "...Only 5 bolts? Well, these are really heavy anyways, so they should do the trick," Wil commented, and commenced shooting down unsuspecting enemy units, whom the rest easily cleared.

"I guess that's the last of them," Erk commented, after blasting a lone archer to cinders.

"...It's scary that you can kill all those people without feeling a shred of guilt," Sain said.

"See if I care," Erk replied.

"Something is really bothering me," commented Kent. "I noticed it during the fighting. Our opponents... They were soldiers of Caelin. I even recognized some of those we fought. I trained with many of them... And yet they attacked us without hesitation."

"They're black-hearted traitors who've joined Lord Lundgren. Good riddance, I say. It also means less resistance at the castle," replied Sain.

"So what did you find during your investigation?" Hiro asked Matthew, who just returned.

"First, about Marquess Caelin's illness. He really is unwell. He's been abed for nigh on three months," Matthew started.

"Oh no, grandfather..."Lyn said, looking more worried than before.

"I heard an interesting rumor about his condition, though. The people believe that someone's been poisoning the marquess..." Matthew continued.

"Someone is poisoning the marquess?" Kent asked, looking just as worried as Lyn now.

"And this someone... Well, everyone's too afraid to mention a name. However,they say that, as soon as the marquess took ill, a certain noble took control of the castle as though it were his own. I fed a hungry innkeeper some coin, and he fed me a name," Matthew continued.

"Guess who?" Hiro asked sarcastically.

"Lord Lundgren," Matt answered for those who didn't know.

"How can this be? How can they allow him to get away with this? The villagers know he's the one poisoning my grandfather, and yet no one raises a hand against him? Why?" Lyn asked angrily.

"They are afraid, and they lack proof. The whisperings of the common people means nothing," Kent explained.

"That's the truth of it. And of the marquess's loyal retainers who might have lent credence to these rumors, there is no sign," Matthew continued.

"So they've been silenced?" Lyn asked.

"Looks like it."

"And there's more," Matthew continued on. "An imposter's appeared, claiming to be the marquess's granddaughter. At least, that's the story Lundgren's telling to all who'll listen. People are waiting for three traitorous knights and a baseborn child to appear and lay calim to Castle Caelin."

"Outrageous!" Odin exclaimed. "Us, branded as traitors?"

"He says...I'm an imposter?" Lyn asked him.

"It looks like it. Don't you have anything that proves your lineage?" Matthew asked. Lyn shook her head.

"When my mother joined the Lorca, she brought nothing from Lycia with her," replied Lyn.

"Milady, Marquess Araphen himself remarked at your resemblance to Lady Madelyn! Your face is your proof!" Sain remarked.

"They'll say we found a look-alike somewhere... We're seen as betrayers of our knightly vows. Our word means nothing. No, our only hope is to see Marquess Caelin himself," Odin told him.

"Then we must hurry. I must see him, with my last breath if need be," Lyn said.

"But we must formulate some manner of plan! Even if we set out for the castle, the troops patrolling the area will cause no end of problems. You have been branded as oathbreakers, after all," Matthew pointed out.

"...Eliwood! He seemed sympathetic to our plight. He should be still in Kathelet. If we can talk to him, he might help us!" Lyn remembered. So they headed back to Kathelet.

"The fire dragons are attacking!" a silver dragon yelled towards his comrades in the village. "Lord Xiphias! They are attacking!" 'Damn,' Xiphias thought. 'Just after Kuro left, too.'

"Idoun, show them your power," commanded Alveen, as his fire dragon troops attacked the silver dragons. Idoun flew high above a battlefield, charged up a dark bolt to its maximum size and power in her mouth, and blasted it in the biggest cluster of fighters. A huge explosion occurred, and the blast killed about half of the silver dragon and fire dragon troops. "...Excellent! With her, my plans will be carried out so easily!" Alveen sneered.

"GRAH!" Xiphias roared, and breathed a powerful bolt of light, killing a large cluster of fire dragons. He inhaled, and fired a barrage of bolts from his mouth, blasting an even larger cluster of fire dragons to death.

"Damn that Xiphias. Oh well, Idoun, kill him," Alveen commanded. Idoun charged her body with powerful dark energy, and dived down at Xiphias. This would have killed the old dragon, but the attack was far too obvious and easy to avoid. Idoun may be more powerful, but Xiphias had many a millennium's more experience in combat. Xiphias fired a hailstorm of bolts at Idoun as she landed, making her roar in pain. Idoun charged up a dark bolt and fired it, but again, Xiphias easily dodged it, and fired a powered up bolt at her.

Idoun flew over it, but the bolt killed lots of fire dragons after it exploded. Idoun fired another dark bolt, but Xiphias blew a bolt of equal power at it to make it explode on contact, making a very large cloud of smoke. Idoun breathed another bolt at it, but was hit by a powerful bolt from her right. Apparently, Xiphias used the smoke cloud to cover his movement. Although Idoun wasn't terribly experienced in combat, she knew when her opponent is too strong for her. She also has almost completely exhausted her strength, and was bleeding heavily from many different places. So she retreated.

"Hmm...looks like Xiphias is still too powerful, even for her...damn. It looks like we'll have to do this another time. FIRE DRAGONS, RETREAT!" Alveen commanded.

"I hope the others are all right back home," Kuro said to Ninian. "We were really worried about you two, you know."

"Kuro...Thank you..." Ninian hugged him, making him blush.

"...I've missed you," the lord told his companion. "...I was worried that we wouldn't be able to see each other again after you two left, knowing that the human world is dangerous."

"...I'm worried," Lyn said, as Odin was accompanying her for a walk. "Do you think my grandfather will be all right?"

"Of course, if he wishes to see you as much as you wish to see him. Will power can do amazing things," replied the cavalier.

"Odin, thank you for always being there for me. You're not like the other 2," Lyn commented, hugging him, crying into his chest. "This isn't like me to cry so much, but there's so much to cry about. My grandfather...my people..."

"...It's all right, milady, I'm here for you," Odin told her, and put her in his strong yet caring and gentle embrace.

"...Thank you, Odin..."

**

* * *

End Lyn's tale chapter 8**

Short update, because of a bit of a writer's block.


	14. Lyn 9: A Grim Reunion

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever. If you care, just check my profile for who I own in this story.

Now here's a chapter that's actually worth writing about, unlike the last one.

I figured Kent and Sain needed more screen...story...whatever time, so the fight with Eagler will only include the cavaliers and Wallace. And my version of a cavalier triangle attack.

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Lyn's Tale Chapter 9: A Grim Reunion**

"...I'm sorry for throwing you out last night...and the night before that," Fiaa mumbled quietly, embarrassed at her outbursts.

"...Don't worry, it was my fault," Kyo replied. The two were headed back towards castle Ostia. Kyo found no clue regarding his missing sister, but at least he's back with Fiaa. Not on best terms, but at least they're both all right.

Back at Ostia:

"There you two are! Lord Uther has a new mission for you two," Eiji greeted the 2 fliers as they walked out of the stables.

"...How about you, Eiji?" Kyo asked the knight.

"Naw, he needs me to stay here. And now, I'm paired up as a commander with this really high ranking knight; his name is Oswin, I think. I hear he's the lord's brother's unofficial personal guard," Eiji explained.

"All right then, let's head to the throne room," Fiaa said as she grabbed Kyo's arm and ran with him to the room.

"What's the hurry?" Kyo asked her, a bit amused at her rush to leave.

"As mercenaries, if your boss wants to give you an order, or just gave you one, it's imperative that you do it right away," Fiaa explained. "That's the principle in Ilia, anyways."

"...I see. I'm new at this business, so let's make you the leader of this operation," Kyo told her. "I think you'd make a better one than me."

"...Um...see, I'm not a very good leader. And seeing that you're a seasoned commander anyways, let's just leave you as the leader," Fiaa blushed at his compliment.

"Welcome back!" Lord Uther greeted them.

"..I apologize for leaving without telling you milord...but I had to look for Fiaa to bring her back," Kyo apologized, kneeling on one knee.

"Um...so will I; I left because Kyo was gone for some time," Fiaa also apologized, kneeling on one knee.

"Let it go. We have more important matters at hand," said Uther, and placed a map in front of them. "I need you to go back to Ilia. I want you to give this package to a man named Lucifer," Uther said, giving Kyo a small metal box. "...He's a friend of one of my men. Inside it is a good luck charm; it's a keepsake of his mother. Please give it to him. He's usually in the "Happy Hog" bar. Go to a tourist information center if you get lost."

"...The Happy Hog..." Fiaa's face drained at the mention of the name.

"...Is something wrong, Fiaa?" Uther asked her. She was about to yell out everything and cry, but remembered her mercenaries' code, and kept a straight face, or the best straight face she could muster then.

"...No, milord," Fiaa said, trying to fight back tears. The place had memories. Very unpleasant memories.

The 2 packed up, and headed towards the stables. They got on their mounts, and left towards Ilia.

"I've received word from Caelin's neighbors, Laus, Tuscana, Kathelet, Tania, and Santaruz. They will not interfere in Caelin's affairs. This they have promised," Eliwood told Lyn.

"Eliwood, I don't know how to thank you..." said Lyn, obviously relieved after hearing this.

"All I've done is convince them to remain neutral in this dispute. However, this means I cannot aid you in any way either. Will you be all right?" Eliwood asked her, with a look of concern on his face.

"I will win. I have to. It's the only way that I can help my grandfather," Lyn said, with a determined look on her face.

"All right, everyone, let's move!" Lyn said to the group cheerily.

"The weather is turning foul. It looks like a fog is rolling in..."Sain commented, looking at the sky.

"This is no good. If the fog thickens, we'll be blind in battle. It will be difficult to fight what we cannot see," Kent added.

"We can't let it delay us, though. Let us press on. We must get closer to the castle. What's the best route?" Lyn asked, ready to move.

"Let me think... Our best path is to the south... However, that runs through General Eagler's estate. It looks like we still have one final obstacle to pass," Odin said, and started leading the pack.

"...This looks like a really bad fog. It'd be best if we all stick in one large group," Hiro commented.

"Then let me lead the group, protected by the cavaliers," Matthew stepped up. "Us...thieves, if you must, usually train ourselves to have a sharper vision than others."

"All right then, let's move," Hiro motioned Matthew to lead the way. Soon after they moved though, they were halted by a knight in grey and white armor.

"So you've come..." said the knight.

"Lord Wallace?" All 3 cavaliers looked in surprise at the knight.

"Kent, who is this?" Lyn asked the cavalier.

"That's Lord Wallace. He used to be the knight commander of Caelin, but he's supposed to be retired..." replied Kent.

"I am, and I was. Then I received orders from Lord Lundgren. I was told to capture an imposter and a pair of rogues knights," Wallace told them after hearing what Kent said.

"Lord Wallace! Surely you don't believe US to be oathbreakers, do you?" Odin asked him, looking astonished.

"...Bring me the girl that claims to be Lady Madelyn's child," Wallace told them.

"Here I am," Lyn said as she walked up in front of the group.

"What will you do, Lord Wallace?" Sain asked the knight.

"Hmm...such beautiful eyes..." Wallace muttered.

"Excuse me?" asked a scared Lyn, stepping back. 'Did Sain get his lecherousness from THIS old man?' Lyn thought.

"I've been a knight for 30 years, and there is one thing I learned. A person with eyes as bright and true as yours is no deceiver. Hahahahahaha! Ah, yes! I like you, girl! Why, I believe I'll even join your little band of mercenaries!" Wallace boomed.

"...Is he serious?" Hiro asked Odin in disbelief.

"This old bull's pledged his loyalty to Caelin. I would never allow an usurper on the throne. Let's march!" Wallace roared.

"Lord Wallace...he hasn't changed at all..." Odin commented, sweatdropping. "...I like him, he's...honest," Lyn commented. "

"...Lord Wallace, what's that thing on your armor?" Hiro asked the knight.

"What thing? ...Oh, this? This is a knight crest! It can make armor knights and cavaliers even stronger, by promoting their class! Watch this! KNIGHT CREST!" He yelled, putting his left hand up to the sky, with the crest on it.

A lightning bolt suddenly struck Wallace, and he shone a very bright light. His plain grey and white armor became larger; it's also much more decorative. It's now grey, and its sides were lined with gold. His helmet is now the shape of a bucket, but looks fearsome because of the patterns on it.

"HAHA! I have been promoted to the class of General! Now a giant walks among you!" Wallace boomed. "My defense is impenetrable! Come! Break your weapons against me!"

"...It sure as hell increased the volume of his voice..." said Kuro as he winced.

"Enemy cavaliers, dead ahead!" Matthew warned the group.

"Time to show us your power, Wallace," Hiro ordered.

"Gladly," said the newly promoted general, who walked up in front of the group. He took out his iron axe and iron lance, one weapon in each hand. They were for some reason chained to the armor of the general.

"Why are those weapons chained to your armor?" Hiro asked.

"HAHAHA! Watch and see!" Wallace boomed.

3 cavaliers all rode at high speeds towards Wallace, yelling a battle cry. Wallace simply stood there, whistling a happy tune. As the cavaliers are in the throwing range of his weapons, however, Wallace THREW his iron lance and iron axe at 2 of the cavaliers; the one in the center and the one from his right. The weapons struck them dead on in their skulls. Then Wallace pulled on the chains to recover his weapons. After he pulled, he was struck in the chest by the cavalier's lance. However, hitting the armor actually BROKE the lance, and the force only pushed the general back an inch, and the cavalier fell off his horse. Wallace then swung his axe down on the cavalier's head. "...Impressive," commented Hiro.

Hiro, Kuro, and Serene walked off the group to find a small group of mercenaries and fighters. "Looks like fun," commented Serene. "Anybody have something I could throw?"

"...um...how about this?" Hiro looked about and found a very hard rock on the ground. He flipped it up with his sword, made it land on the flat side of the blade, and offered it to Serene.

"...show off," Kuro commented.

"This will do fine," Serene said, taking the rock throwing it up into the air, and kicked it towards an advancing mercenary. It struck the mercenary hard in the gut. Realizing his chance, Kuro took out the Harusame, and ran up to the mercenary, and sliced him in half.

"There are a bunch of those rocks in here. Serene, can you kick these rocks at the coming enemies?" Hiro asked the grappler. "No problem," she replied.

"They're coming!" Kuro told the other 2.

"Serene! Hit the rock towards the one in the middle!" Hiro commanded. Serene kicked the rock up and kicked it towards the fighter's skull. "Great job! Now...ETHER FLARE!" Hiro yelled as he swung the Muramasa into the ground, releasing four flaming bolts on impact, which homed on 4 other approaching enemies and cooked them.

"My turn!" Kuro got into a fighting stance with his Harusame. "EARTHSHAKER!" He yelled, and slammed the blade of his sword into the ground, sending a giant shockwave forward. A large crevice appeared below his targets, and swallowed them. Then the ground recovered into what it looked like before the attack.

"...That's scary," Hiro commented.

The group finally reached the estate the other side of Eagler's property. However, the general paladin himself was blocking the path.

"Bring forth the imposter who calls herself "Lyndis"! She shall not pass beyond this place!" Eagler called towards the group.

"I am Lyndis. I'm no pretender. I'd ask you to believe me, but your heart and mind seem set," Lyn told him as she walked up in front of the group.

"General Eagler..."Sain rode up to Lyn.

"Sain... I never imagined you could turn traitor..." Eagler commented.

"Who's the traitor here? I am following the orders of my sworn liege lord. Not Lundgren, but my true liege, the marquess himself!" Sain replied.

"General Eagler! We found Lady Lyndis on the orders of the marquess. We have worked so very hard to return her safely to Caelin," Kent said as he also rode up to Lyn.

"And yet you have no proof of her identity, correct, Kent?" Eagler asked. Kent just shut up after that, not knowing how to reply.

"...Isn't her face enough, Lord Eagler? She definitely resembles Lady Madelyn..." Odin said as he rode up to Lyn.

"EAGLER!" Wallace boomed, also walking up to Lyn.

"General Wallace... So you have sided with the girl, too!" Eagler looked surprised to see the big man walking up to him.

"I fight for Caelin's honor, not for Lundgren's lies!" Wallace replied with conviction.

"Ah... Is that so? You are...Enough! There's nothing more to be said. I name you traitors all! Come! Do your worst!" Eagler said angrily.

"Everyone, stand back! This is our fight," Wallace commanded the rest of the group.

"...We understand. Just don't die on us, all right?" Hiro asked the cavaliers and the generals.

"Sure thing," Odin replied, getting into battle stance, along with Kent, Sain, and Wallace.

"RAAGH!" Eagler yelled, charging at Wallace, who he figured will be the biggest threat. "GRRR!" Wallace growled, taking the full force of the Steel Lance into his armor. However, Eagler is much stronger than his knights, and was able to create a sizeable dent in the armor. Wallace retaliated by throwing his Iron axe at Eagler, but the paladin blocked it with his shield and retreated. 'Damn, he's too fast!' Wallace thought.

Then Eagler rushed at Sain. "Sain won't stand a chance! Sain! Get out of his path!" Kent ordered his companion. Sain pulled on his horse's reins at the last second to avoid the paladin's charge. "ARGH!" Sain yelled in pain as the paladin's lance struck his left shoulder. Sain held on to his horse with his other hand, having his other arm completely disabled. "Damn it!"

"Let's do what we practiced before we left," suggested Odin. "Wallace, keep him occupied. We'll surround him!"

Wallace walked up again, having the cavaliers hide behind him. Then Eagler charged at Wallace. Wallace swung the chain with the axe on it around, and threw it at Eagler. It was thrown with such force that it was stuck on his shield as the paladin blocked it. "GOTCHA!" boomed Wallace, pulling the paladin in. The cavaliers took this time to surround Eagler.

"DAMN IT!" Eagler yelled, as the three cavaliers are in a delta formation, and are charging at him. "No...the triangle attack..."

Sain swung with his right hand at Eagler's back, which damaged the paladin's armor badly. Then Kent sliced Eagler's other arm off. Finally, Odin charged up his sword with electricity, and rode towards Eagler, and swung his sword. The electricity was so hot it sliced through the armor and the paladin's body like air, while sending thousands of volts into the paladin's body. After the attack, Eagler's torso has been sliced cleanly off his hip. "Nnng... Go... Go quickly. The marquess... he knows nothing of this... His life is... There's no illness. Only... poison... Please... for the marquess... for all of Caelin..." Eagler told the cavaliers and Wallace with his dying breath.

"...What kind of man was General Eagler?" Lyn asked the cavaliers, who looked saddened after killing their ex-leader.

"When all 3 of us became knights, he was our teacher..." said Kent sadly.

"I think he must have known we were telling the truth. Why did he force the fight?" Lyn commented.

"Something must have... Lord Lundgren was exerting some hold on him...Eagler was trying to protect someone. A friend perhaps, or family," Sain replied.

"May Lundgren never know the peaceful embrace of Mother Earth! I care not what others do. I WILL stop that man! Hiro! The final battle is approaching!" Lyn said, clenching her fists.

**SIDE CHAPTER 1: Just Another Night **

On the way to Ilia:

"...Fiaa...your face blanched when Lord Uther mentioned the name of that bar...what happened?" Kyo asked her, with a worried looked on his face.

"...Um...you noticed?" Fiaa blushed, embarrassed that she had shown a weakness. Kyo nodded. "Um...just some bad memories...I don't like to talk about them," Fiaa answered him.

"...If you want to cry it's fine. No one will laugh at you or call you weak if you do," Kyo said.

"I...I don't want to cry!" Fiaa replied.

"...During that meeting, I saw a small tear slide down your cheek. I'm here for you, just to let you know..." Kyo told her. Fiaa was silent for a while, until nightfall came.

They landed to camp for the night. "...ONLY ONE TENT? DAMN THOSE INCOMPETENT MAIDS!" Kyo yelled in fury.

A few minutes later... "ONLY ONE SLEEPING BAG! WHAT WERE THOSE DAMN MAIDS ON!"

Kyo and Fiaa sat by the campfire after setting up their tent. "...I hated that place..." Fiaa suddenly said.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Kyo asked. Fiaa crept closer to him, and rested her head on his shoulder, and slowly nodded. "What happened?"

"Well...me, and a few friends...Florina, Fiora, and Lolita...we used to live around the area. We were looking for Florina and Fiora's sister, Farina...this was about 11 years ago. I was supposed to be babysitting them. We asked people around. We were playing catch on top of a hill, when Farina failed to catch the ball once, and rolled down the hill. She ran down to get it. However, we waited there for a really long time. I was worried, so I brought the others down with me. I didn't see Farina anywhere, so I asked some people if they saw her. One man, a fighter by the looks of it, told us that she was in the Happy Hog...so we went there," Fiaa started her story.

"We walked in. It was busy that day...we were almost trampled by all the drunken men. The others were very scared. So we walked around, and we didn't find Farina anywhere. So we went to the back and asked the bartender. 'Blue haired girl...blue haired...let's see,' he said, and told us to go to the back room. So we walked in...and it was the most horrific sight I ever saw!" Fiaa started crying, and grabbed Kyo. She started sobbing into his chest. "...what happened..." Kyo was afraid of what was to come next.

"...There were at least 10 men...6 of them, I think, were laughing and joking around, making perverted comments about Farina...the other 4...THEY...THEY WERE RAPING HER!" Fiaa cried. "Then, noticing that we just walked in, one man pushed us away from the door, and locked it. They bound and gagged us. Then the men took off their clothes...and they raped us too..." Fiaa sobbed even harder into Kyo's chest.

"...I'm sorry..." Kyo put his hand on her head, hoping to be able to calm his companion down. He put her in an embrace to calm her down, and she hugged him back tightly. 'ACK! BONES!' thought Kyo. 'Control yourself Kyo, you might score if you do this right...'

Fiaa finally stopped crying. "...Are you feeling better now?" Kyo asked her, a bit grossed out with his tear-soaked jacket. Fiaa nodded, and hiccupped. "Go to sleep." Fiaa went inside the tent.  
Kyo finally decided it was time to sleep. He went inside the tent, to find Fiaa sitting in the sleeping bag, still awake, but she had stripped down to her undergarments. Kyo blushed red, and thanked the gods that the tent was dark inside. "...Fiaa? Are you all right?" Kyo asked the Pegasus knight. She nodded. He hoped this night isn't going to be like both nights he had at Pherae.

He took off his tear stained jacket, and put it outside near the campfire to dry, and then stripped down to his boxers, and got in the sleeping bag. Fiaa was still sleeping and couldn't sleep. "Come on, Fiaa, go to sleep. We need to leave early in the morning." She finally laid down, but she didn't sleep.

A few minutes later, she spoke again. "...Kyo..?" "Yeah?" Kyo turned around to face her. "...Thanks for listening to my story...and trying to comfort me...it really helped," she told him.

"...No problem," he replied. He was about to turn around, but she held him there in her arms. "...Please...don't push me away...It's cold tonight..." she pleaded, holding onto him. "...All right," Kyo replied, and held her tight in his arms.

Hiro ran up a tree and sat on one of its branches. Odin, Wil, Erk, and Kuro, sat under him. Odin was going to tell them about his training with Eagler.

"...Lord Eagler was a great man. Great teacher, and funny guy. He always encouraged us to do our best, even when we're training. 'If you train half-assed, you'll fight and die half-ssed as well,' he always said. 'You won't win any battles like that! And you won't get any women either!' he always said, when we're not trying our hardest. We always worked harder than ever every time he said that. He can easily tell who's trying and who's not, even the best fakers."

"He's also humorous...His stories are great at the mess hall. He's always seeing the positive side of things, and that attitude has always helped us...He was also one of the most loyal men to the marquess...but now..." Odin stopped.

"Well, obviously, he had something dear to protect, otherwise, he wouldn't even have told us before he died," Erk pointed out. "He sounds like a great guy, and he's wasted because of some megalomaniac."

"...He sounds like my brother," Kuro said. "...He's always such an optimist. Even when mother was dying..." He clenched his fists. "He acts a lot like the way you said Eagler was, too," Kuro remembered back to the time he got his sword; his necklace and the sword was passed down to him from his father, who before that received it from his father, and father before that, and so on for 15 generations back. Its creator was the dragon of Anima, the ONLY dragon of anima affinity, and the king of all Dragons, Bahamut. Of course, Bahamut has passed away with age, according to Xiphias. Dragons don't live eternally; their lifespans just seem eternal because humans live nowhere near that long.

"Rodrak...I hope you're all right back home..."

"Where do you and Serene come from, anyways? You never told us," Wil asked Kuro, looking curious.

"We came from where Ninian and Nils came from. It's...kind of...a...uh...hidden village. We usually can't leave; only the adults can do that, and only to get supplies from the cities," Kuro said, trying to get as far from the truth of the dragon world as possible.

"...and that's why you should NEVER, EVER, choose orange over pink," Serra finished.

"Wow, I didn't know you could be so deep," Serene commented, blinking her eyes. "Usually, you complain about how ugly something is, saying that the reason is that it's out of fashion. Now, THAT, was a great story."

"Why, thank you," Serra bowed. "...Aww...look at Nils...he's so cute when he's asleep."

"...He's drooling on me..." Ninian sweatdropped. "I'm going to put him in his tent. Can you help me, Serene?" Serene got up and helped her put Nils in his sleeping bag.

"...He looks so innocent," Serene commented. "It's hard to believe that he's involved in something like what we're in. I mean, he's only like, what, 480?" "...I'm sorry for worrying you. It was selfish of us..." Ninian replied, feeling guilty for dragging Serene and Kuro into their mess.

"...Kuro was really worried about you, you know," Serene told her best friend. "...I know..." Ninian nodded in agreement. "You two have been best friends for at least 3 quarters of your lives. Don't you think you should...go farther?" Serene asked. "What? Me? ...No, that wouldn't be right. I don't think Lord Xiphias would allow me to...I mean, he's the son of the Silver Dragon leader..."Ninian looked at her friend, shocked.

"You know, Kuro wishes that isn't the case," Serene replied to her friend, walking out of the siblings' tent. Ninian blushed. "...Are you sure?" Ninian asked her friend. Serene just nodded, and walked out to rejoin her friends.

All was quiet in the sleeping bag. "...Kyo? Where's the package with the sleeping pills?" Fiaa asked her companion. "...I still can't sleep." Kyo pointed to a spot behind her. She took the bag, but saw that it was full of many tablets. She sweatdropped. Hoping that all of these were sleeping pills, and not anything else, she took out 4 pills, and swallowed them whole.

An hour later:

"...Kyo?" Fiaa said again.

"(Yawn) Still can't sleep?" Kyo asked the Pegasus knight.

"...Yes, but I'm really feeling uncomfortable now," Fiaa replied. "Wanna do something fun?"

"...What? What are you talking about..." Kyo turned around groggily.

"This," Fiaa had a voluptuous shine in her eyes, and smiled maliciously, and licked her lips. She grabbed Kyo's head and started to give him a French kiss, then rolled on top of him.

"MFMMNF!" Kyo struggled a bit at first, shocked at Fiaa. Then, 'wait...wait. wait. She's kissing ME? Sweet. Wait, what's this?' he thought. She lowered her hands to his boxers, and slowly pulled it off. Then she got on top of him again, and ripped off, yes, RIPPED off the rest of her undergarments. She put her body on top of Kyo's and...love was being made. (Let's leave it at that, or this would be rated R)

Various moans, groans, and shrieks of pleasure can be heard outside the love tent, waking up and scaring all the forest animals.

**

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End Lyn's Tale chapter 9**

W00t, almost the end of Lyn's tale, can FINALLY get to the better parts of the story. Seriously, Lundgren is such a lame-ass villain, he's almost not worth writing about. Almost. Gotta make his death a really gruesome one, cuz I HATE HIM.

**On a side note, R&R please!**


	15. Lyn 10: The Distant Plains

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever, just my own characters

By the way, who's Tyrin...

And thank you to those that reviewed, the encouragement is good for the good ol' ego.

**

* * *

THE TACTICIANS' WISH **

**Lyn's Tale Chapter 10: The Distant Plains**

(...FINALLY)

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The thunderclouds rolled in as the group neared Castle Caelin. "Isn't that rather ominous..." commented Erk. 

"WHAT! THEY'RE ALREADY HERE?" Lundgren shouted in fury. "Very well then...I'll kill that wench myself. Soldier, get the men to take up arms!"

"Lady Lyndis, we should be able to see Castle Caelin once we pass through these mountains," Kent told the lord. "Everything rests on this next battle."

"Lundgren will not be receiving the reinforcements he expected. He'll move against us with everything he has soon," Sain remarked.

"Let him come! Let them all come! I will not be turned away! I will see my grandfather... I've coe too far to let anyone stand in my way. This is it, my friends. This is our final test. My friends, for one last time, lend me your strength!" Lyn raised her sword in the air, and the small army roared to create a fearsome battle cry.

"...It looks like it's going to rain...this could hinder our progress a bit..." Hiro remarked. "I want Wallace, Dorcas, and Matthew to take the lead. Odin, you go protect our right flank with Rath. Sain, you'll protect our left with Erk. Serra, Ninian, and Nils will stay in the middle. Florina, you and Wil snipe, as usual. Kent, I want you to protect our backs, and tell the others if you see anything sneaking up behind the group. If you do, just yell something and Dorcas will assist you. You'll take the northern route, around the mountains. Lyn, Serene, Kuro, and I will take the small mountain road and head straight for Lundgren. The large group, your job is to kill the enemies in your path, so that they won't interfere with my group when we're fighting Lundgren. Matthew told me that he's a General, so this fight will be tough. LET'S MOVE, PEOPLE!"

Fiaa woke up, to find herself and Kyo naked in the same sleeping bag.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!" she screamed so loudly, all the forest animals that came back during dusk ran away again. Kyo clutched his ears and curled up into a fetal position.

"CALM DOWN, ALL RIGHT?" Kyo grabbed her shoulders and shook her until she stopped screaming.

"...okay...okay...um...did..we...actually...uh...do...IT?" Fiaa looked down, scared.

Kyo just nodded, then realized something. "Get me the bag you got the sleeping pills from," he ordered. Fiaa just did it, too shocked to care about why. Then he showed her the contents of the bag.

"VIAGRA? IMMA KILL THOSE MAIDS!" shouted the Pegasus knight, scaring even more forest animals away.

"...Viagra?" Kyo looked confused.

"...It's a drug that heightens one's sexual desires, or gives them desires. Combined with alcohol and other drugs, the effects would be significantly heightened. If you take more than one pill at once, the effect will be significantly heightened as well," Fiaa explained, still in shock.

"...How many did you take?" Kyo asked her.

"...I think 4...so the effects probably haven't gone yet; a pill usually lasts for 8 hours..." Fiaa looked away, but looked back at Kyo.

"...wanna do something fun?" Fiaa changed her face into the face that she had on last night.

'I like where this is going,' Kyo thought, forming a lecherous grin.

Hiro, Kuro, Serene, and Lyn walked by a small village. "You've finally made it her, have you? Such a long way... We're all behind you, Lady Lyndis. All of us. Here, take this. Use it in your battle against Lundgren, please. It's an energy ring. It'll increase your strength and magic power a bit. There are lots of items that augment your abilities. These are hard to come by, so think carefully before you use them," an old man gave them the small ring.

"Thank you! I think this works just like that Angelic Robe Matthew found earlier..." Hiro commented. "Anyone want this?"

Serene snatched it from his hand and put it on her left ring finger. Then, a small red aura encircled Serene, and disappeared afterwards along with the ring. "Dang, I thought it looked real pretty," she said, rather disappointed. "On the plus side, I feel like I could kick down a brick wall!"

"An armory...We probably could use some new weapons," Hiro commented, as he entered with the group. "...Are you the group fighting Lundgren?" the shopkeeper asked them. They nodded. "Then you should use these. These are Armorslayers, made specifically for fighting knights and generals. Go ahead, it's on the house. You're the ones helping us, after all." He gave the group 4 armorslayers, and they thanked him, and left.

"...They must really hate him to want to help US," Kuro commented.

"...He must die. I will kill him, I swear, if it's the last thing I do," Lyn clenched her hand holding the Mani Katti.

"Don't worry. We'll take him down. Let's go, guys," Serene patted her friend's back, and led the group on.

"Knights! 6 of them!" Kuro warned the group, and unsheathed his Harusame. "We must be close!"

"Finally, something to blow up," Hiro commented, unsheathing his Muramasa. Lyn did the same with her Mani Katti, and Serene got into a fighting stance. The knights, spotting the band of 4, charged at them.

Hiro and Kuro charged their swords with their respective energies. Kuro dashed at the first knight, and released a Heavensplitter, launching himself high in the air. Another knight, the one at the back, was threw a Javelin at him. However, Hiro launched an Ether Flare, charring the Javelin in midair, and the other 3 bolts burned down that knight. Another knight charged at Lyn, who sled through the knight's legs. She turned around, and slashed the knight's back armor open with her armorslayer. Now having a good opening, she stabbed his heart from the back with her Mani Katti.

As another knight rushed at Serene, she jumped over his lance, and did a flying back kick to his head. She straddled his lance, squeezed it with her thighs in the middle, and pulled on the tip, breaking the lance in half. Then she stabbed the sharp lance tip into the knight's skull through the visor of his helm.

Kuro landed safely, but another knight was rushing at him. As the knight charged, Kuro sidestepped the lance, and sliced its tip off with his blade. Then he sheathed his Harusame, and took out his armorslayer, which he sliced diagonally at the knight's chest, slicing open a clean hole. The knight, however, was ready for what was next, and delivered a punch to Kuro's jaw. Kuro backflipped into a safe landing, and threw his armorslayer at the Knight's chest. It went straight into his sternum, and was stuck up to the hilt.

The last knight tossed a Javelin at Hiro, who easily dodged it, and threw his Armorslayer at the knight. The knight blocked it with his shield, but it was now stuck there, and in the knight's hand. The knight yelled in pain, and Hiro took this chance to charge his sword with fire energy. After the knight recovered, Hiro disappeared, slashed at the knight in his invisibility, and appeared behind the knight a split second later. Then the knight blew up into a billion tiny pieces.

The 4 finally reached Lundgren. "Lundgren! You've gone far enough in your quest for the throne! It ends right here, and NOW!" Lyn yelled at him in rage.

"...The child of Madelyn. I can't believe that you survived the trip," the purple armored general commented. "But it matters not! I shall finish you here, nomadic mongrel!"

"Guys, this is my fight. I hope you understand..." Lyn looked at her friends.

"...No problem. We'll keep the other enemies at bay while you take him on. But if it looks like a losing battle, call for help," Hiro instructed. Lyn nodded, and rushed at Lundgren.

"We're almost at the castle, men!" Wallace bellowed. "Odin, I want you to go check up on the others! See if they've made it there yet!" Odin urged his horse to rush towards the castle.

"HAVE AT YE!" Lundgren yelled. He started the combat by throwing his Steel Lance at Lyn, who easily dodged it. However, she didn't expect what came next. Lundgren pulled on the chain attached to the lance, and when it was out of the ground, he spun it in a whirlwind-like attack. Only the stick of the lance, fortunately, hit Lyn. Nevertheless, she was badly damaged.

'Damn...that hurt...' Lyn thought, getting ready for Lundgren's next assault, and drinking a vulnerary.

"DIE, FOOLISH GIRL!" Lundgren tossed his lance at her again, and it was Lundgren's turn to be surprised. Lyn jumped on the lance and ran up the stick and the chain while the lance was still moving towards Lundgren. Lyn jumped off the chain towards Lundgren as it became limp, and slammed her Armorslayer into his chest, making a rather large cut in it. Before Lundgren could react, she put both feet on his chest, and pulled the armorslayer out with all her might, while jumping away from Lundgren.

"GRRRAAA!" Lundgren roared, and tried to tackle Lyn with his shoulder. Lundgren was easily avoided, and Lyn sliced his chest with the armorslayer again, making the cut on his chest larger. Lundgren was getting annoyed, and tried to punch Lyn. Lyn ducked the punch, and high kicked his head. She then rolled away.

"Damn you, why won't you DIE!" Lundgren swung his lance around in a whirlwind again, remembering that this trick got Lyn before. Lyn jumped over the lance, and kept hopping towards Lundgren, treating the lance like a skipping rope. When she was close enough, she jumped towards Lundgren, and sliced with the armorslayer again, making the cut larger and deeper, and hopped away. This time, she hit flesh.

"ARGH!" Lundgren roared in pain. Lyn took this time to take out her Mani Katti, and she dashed at Lundgren. Expecting this, Lundgren dropped his lance and threw a fist at Lyn, landing it straight in her gut. Lyn flew backwards from the powerful blow. Lundgren picked up his lance again.

"DIE!" Lundgren tossed his lance at Lyn again. Lyn was still dazed from the punch, and realized that the lance was coming at her too late. She tried to jump to the side, but it still managed to slash her on the left side of the waist. "ERGH!" Lyn grunted in pain.

Lyn got back up, but stumbled. The wound in her waist was too painful to allow her to move. "...No...not yet...I can do this..." she said to herself, but then she fainted.

"GOOD BYE!" Lundgren walked up to Lyn, and was about to thrust his lance through her head, when Odin charged towards him. He swung his sword like a bat, pushing Lundgren backwards, and making him fall. Odin grabbed the fallen Lyn, and retreated to Hiro's group.

"Holy...damn...let's give this to Lyn," Hiro took out a vulnerary out of a pouch and forced its contents into the lord's mouth. Lyn choked on it, but it woke her up, and cured her wound. Lundgren, after finally getting up, charged towards the group. Serene helped Lyn up, and the lord thanked her. Then she dashed towards Lundgren again.

"PERSISTENT DEVIL!" Lundgren held his lance like a javelin and tossed it at Lyn. Lyn was ready this time; she easily moved to the side and grabbed the lance, and let it carry her backwards. When the lance stopped, she slammed it into the ground, so Lundgren couldn't pull it back. Lyn took this chance to charge up her Mani Katti with energy.

Lyn split into 3. Then she and the illusions disappeared. A strong wind blew around Lundgren, and various cuts started appearing in the general's armor, very rapidly. Lundgren was bleeding heavily after this. Then the Lyn's appeared again in front of him, and all three dashed at him, slicing his torso off his lower body.

"GARRGGHH!" the fallen general yelled as he fell. His dying words were, "That annoying little girl... Nothing but a savage from Sacae...The Caelin throne... should be... mine..." And he drew his last breath.

The group rushed inside castle Caelin.

"..." a man walked towards Lyn. "...You are Lyndis, are you not?" he asked her. Lyn nodded. "I am Reissmann, the chancellor of the Caelin royal family. I had received word from Kent and Sain when you first met, but the Lundgren discovered the message and imprisoned me. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to your true home."

"...Thank you. May I see my grandfather now?" Lyn asked him.

"Yes, of course. Do not be shocked by what you see. Lundgren has been poisoning the marquess's meals for some time. His body has been ravaged... He's been bedridden for months," replied the chancellor sadly.

The chancellor led Lyn up to Lord Hausen's room. He opened the door. "Who is there? I said no visitors. I will see no one," said Hausen in a weakened voice. "What are you doing? Leave me... to die..." he said weakly as he saw the chancellor and Lyn walk in.

"Um... Pardon me... My name is... I'm Lyndis," Lyn told him quietly.

"Eh? Did you say Lyndis? Is that..." Hausen asked weakly.

"My father's name was Hassar, chieftain of the Lorca. My mother was...Madelyn. I was raised on the plains," Lyn told him.

"... Could it be? Come, come here. Let me see your face. Oh...Yes... There is no doubt... You are Madelyn's trueborn child... Uhhh...ahhh..." Hausen grunted in pain from the poison's effects.

"Grandfather!" Lyn ran up to him and hugged him.

"...They're sure taking their sweet time," said the cynical mage.

"Hush you, this is the first time they've met. Give them some time to share memories," Serra replied to Erk's comment.

"...I just want to get you to Ostia as quickly as possible..."Erk said.

"Awww, really? That's so sweet of you, but I'd rather take my time so I can spend it with you, Erky!" Serra squealed. Erk just sighed, wishing he could just jump off the castle walls into the moat.

"Wil, we did it!" Florina hugged her new boyfriend as they entered the castle.

"...Wow...this place is huge..." Wil commented, looking around.

A few hours later:

"...Can we go now...?" Erk asked hopefully.

"...No," Serra simply refused for the hundredth or so time.

Lyn finally walked down the stairs from her grandfather's room, and told the group something.

At dinner:

"Lady Lyndis! Do you honestly plan on remaining here? Tell me truly!" asked Sain, eager to know.

"Yes, until my grandfather is well. I can't leave him now. I won't," Lyn said after taking a bite of the castle steak. "The physician says that Lord Hausen looks like a new man. It's like he was never ill. And it's all thanks to you, milady," Kent told her. "He's the only family I have left. I want him to have a long life," Lyn said, taking another bite.

"(snarf) (gobble) (chomp)" Kuro and Nils happily devoured their meals quickly, and choked pretty soon after. Ninian and Serene sweatdropped.

"It's like they never had food their whole life..." Hiro commented.

After dinner:

"Lady Lyndis!" Florina called to her friend as everyone left the dining room and headed for their rooms.

"What is it, Florina?" Lyn looked back to see the Pegasus knight running towards her, followed by Wil.

"I've been taken into service by House Caelin! From here on, Lyn...I mean, Lady Lyndis... We'll be together always!" Florina saluted Lyn.

"Really? Oh, that pleases me so... but... Please don't call me Lady Lyndis. For you, I'm still just Lyn," Lyn just sweatdropped to see her friend so determined in this matter.

"My pegasus and I fly for your house now. I am your servant. There are rules to follow," Florina replied with conviction.

"Okay then..."

"Lady Lyndis! I've decided to stay, too!" Wil told Lyn after Florina finished.

"Wil? Weren't you planning on returning home?" Lyn asked him.

"Well, I was, but... I've grown quite fond of Lyndis's Legion, you know... I couldn't possibly leave everyone behind. I'll send word to my family regarding my decision," Wil told her after.

"I'm pleased to have you, Wil. Thank you," Lyn bowed her thanks.

"Thank you, milady," Wil said as he walked off with Florina, who rested her head on his shoulder as they walked to their room. (yes, I said rooM)

"I've decided to stay...I'm going to send a letter to the tactician's guild regarding this matter. Is that all right, Lyn?" Hiro asked the lord as he walked up to her.

"Oh, of course, Hiro! We wouldn't be here without your help; your skills will be a valuable asset to us!" Lyn bowed her thanks. "Okay then, Good night, Lady Lyndis," Hiro said as he walked off to bed.

In the morning:

"...So all of you are leaving?" Lyn asked the group assembled outside. Erk, Serra, Dorcas, Lucius, Wallace, Matthew, Nils, Ninian, Serene, and Kuro were assembled in the group, waiting at the castle gates to say their good-byes to Lyn.

"I need to get Serra to Ostia before my eardrums explode. OW!" Erk yelled in pain as Serra bonked his head with her heal staff.

"Silly Erky."

"...I need to take care of Natalie. I'm going to find another job so I could pay for fixing her leg..." Dorcas told Lyn.

"I've received a summons from the church to go help a village. I'll be returning shortly, however, to study, if I may be allowed," Lucius told Lyn. Lyn nodded to signify her approval.

"I...uh...have to go somewhere...yeah, that's it," Matthew said as he walked away.

"The fight in me has been boiled up again! I'm going to go around the world, looking for someone worthy of fighting me. So long!" bellowed Wallace, as he clanked his way out of the castle gates.

"We'd love to stay, but we really have to return home," Kuro told Lyn.

"The food here is DELICIOUS!" Nils added.

"Yes, it is. Unfortunately for you two, you won't be here to eat it," Serene said, dragging the two behind her.

"Alas..." Kuro said, as the group of four waved good-bye to Lyn.

Ilia, a few days later:

"FINALLY!" Kyo said as he docked his wyvern. He left the stables to regroup with Fiaa. "So...should we go to the pub first or get us a room?"

"I think we should get a room first. It will be really hard to get rooms late at night..." Fiaa said, leading the way to the inn, and registered for a room. Then they walked up to it and unpacked their things.

"Let's go to the pub...but after a small rest," Kyo said, laying down on the bed, exhausted from the trip.

"Only rest, dear?" Fiaa looked at him.

"What else do you want to do?"

Fiaa jumped on top of him and straddled him, and they started making out.

"Our sources say that he only goes there after sunset," Kyo said. "It's only about 2 hours away. Let's go get some food, and probably shop for equipment."

2 hours later:

"...Are you ready? You're sure you're okay?" Kyo asked his companion as they walked up to the door of the pub.

"...Yeah, I'm fine," Fiaa said as she swallowed. They opened the door and walked in. The pub was full of rowdy and rough looking men. About half of them were drunk, and the other half harassing the maids. One groped Fiaa's butt, only to have his hand twisted and crushed by the heel of the Pegasus knight. "...Perverted bastards..." she commented.

They walked up to the bartender. Kyo handed him the portrait of Lucifer. The bartender pointed to a spot on his right; to be more specific, a black cloaked man. Kyo got his blade ready, but noticed that the man's black cloak was different from the other black-cloaked people that attacked him, and relaxed a bit. "...Don't drop your guard," the man suddenly said. "You never know when these miscreants might jump you. Like now, behind you." Kyo turned around to see a man raise his beer bottle and try to hit Kyo.

The wyvern knight kneed the man in the gut and threw him aside. "Thank you. You are...Lucifer, I believe...we have something for you from...a friend," Kyo said as he took out the package, giving it to Lucifer.

"Thank you. I've been waiting for this for a long time," he said, taking a golden necklace out of it. It looked exactly like Kyo's, but had a diamond instead of an emerald on it. Kyo looked at it in awe. "Let me repay you. Sit and I'll buy you a couple of drinks." Kyo had to refuse. "Um...the last time I was here, I got really drunk over some Ilian rum..."

"Ilian rum? You must be kidding me. You look like a noble from another country; they usually have weak stomachs and can never hold too much alcohol," Lucifer commented.

"...Yeah, I had the mother of all hangovers after only 20 glasses," Kyo muttered.

"...20 glasses. And you're not dead yet. Amazing," Lucifer remarked. "Have some other type of drinks. This bar DOES serve them, you know..."

The bartender served them their drinks. Then Fiaa noticed him go through the door. The door which led to the room of her raping. After a few minutes, he came back out again. "Miss? Some people want to see you; just go in through that door," the bartender told Fiaa.

"What about?" she asked him.

"...I don't know, they just do," said the bartender, trying to act innocent.

"We'll go with you," Lucifer offered. Then he grabbed Kyo and Fiaa before the bartender could say anything.

'Damn it, they'll kill me!' the bartender thought.

"Ready your weapons..." Lucifer warned Kyo.

"Fiaa, walk in first; we're right behind you," Kyo told her.

She gulped, and mustered up the courage to walk in through the dreaded door. She opened it, and entered.

What she saw was what she expected. 10 naked men; they looked like the same ones that raped her before. "Well, HELLO!"

"She's a beauty...GET HER!"

Then Lucifer and Kyo burst through the door, weapons unsheathed. Lucifer had a strange looking sword out. Its blade was made of diamond; rough but still very sharp, and its hilt was golden and black. Its design was similar to that of a Silver Blade's, but it looked more fearsome, with the devil wings on its hilt. They held their weapons to the throats of the 2 closest men.

"Goddammit, get some clothes on," Kyo ordered.

The man farthest away from them took a sword from behind him. "DIE!" he yelled, and ran at Fiaa. The other men grabbed their swords as well. Kyo and Lucifer rammed the hilt of their swords into the faces of the men they were pointing their blades at, knocking them out cold. The man that ran at Fiaa was given a very hard kick to the groin, and another to the face. Fiaa threw him at another man that rushed at her.

Lucifer stabbed his sword into another attacker, and Kyo swung his sword around, slicing two others in half. Fiaa jumped at another attacker, and wrapped his head with her thighs, squeezing it tightly. She twisted her hip to break the man's neck, and leapt off (Soul Calibur Sophitia's Neck breaker). She kicked another attacker behind her in the face. Kyo sliced that one in half. The rest of the men surrendered after that.

"...Those bastards...they were the ones that did it..." Fiaa told Kyo.

"...We got them now. They won't be doing anymore of this..." Kyo reassured her, as the security force of the town put the surviving rapists in prison.

"Thank you for your help, Lucifer," Kyo bowed his thanks.

"It's no big deal. I've been hired to hunt them down anyways. I just needed bait; thank YOU, Fiaa," replied Lucifer.

"Oh, that's real nice of you, using me like that," Fiaa sarcastically replied.

"...You work for Ostia, right? Would you mind if I come with you?" Lucifer asked the two.

Kyo nodded. "You can come, of course, but we'll need to ask Lord Uther about hiring you, though."

A few days later, back in Lycia:

"We're close, right? My feet are DYING!" Nils complained.

"Yes Nils, now...wait..." Ninian halted. "Do you feel it too, Nils?"

"..Yeah...oh...sh1t.." he cursed.

"Nils! Watch your mouth!" Serene scolded him. The next second, a hailstorm of Ballista bolts were raining down on the dragons. "RUN!" Serene commanded.

Kuro just stood there, and unsheathed the Harusame. He focused his energy into it, and yelled, "MIGHTY GUARD!" A giant barrier covered the group and all the bolts bounced harmlessly off the wall.

"...Come back to us," a man walked up to them.

"...Is that...Nergal?" Kuro asked Ninian and Nils.

"...Yes..." they nodded quietly.

"RUN FOR IT!" Kuro ordered.

"Fools. ERESHKIGAL!" Nergal yelled. The spell slammed hard against the Mighty Guard, but the wall stayed strong. However, there was a visible crack in it. "...The power of a sacred sword...just how many are going to get in my way?" he said to himself.

"We have to split up. He'll have a hard time getting us...OOMPH!" Kuro was hit by an Ereshkigal bolt. The others ran back to carry him, but they were captured in nets.

"...More dragons, AND a sacred sword! Excellent..." Nergal said, as he bent down to pick up the Harusame. However, as he was about to touch it, it sent out a powerful bolt of energy, blasting Nergal backwards. He ordered his men to grab it off of Kuro, but they to were struck by the bolt. "ARGH!...Why..why can't I touch it?...Looks like I'll have to leave it with the boy for now..." Then he and his men brought the dragons to his lair.

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End Lyn's tale, chapter 10 

**Please R&R people!**


	16. HectorEliwood 1: Another Journey

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and such stuff

To Draknal: Thanks for the tips, I'll keep those in mind. And the only actual rape story is the Pegasus girls. Since most of them will be getting pairings, though, I might have to write those again in each girl's POV.

To Ayumi187: Thanks for your tips as well. My English ain't that good, and I'm doing my best right now.

To Dairokkan: Yeah, I know, I kind of wanted him to be a bit more childish; like those anime annoying little brother figures, but since I don't know much about those, I can admit that I think my Nils is a failure. (

To everyone else, thanks for reviewing.

Hmmm...If I'm not busy today, I'll probably make another update.

New stats:

Lucifer; Mercenary; age 24 (Eliwood's tale);Weapon: Etherion

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Eliwood's and Hector's Tale Chapter 1: Taking Leave/ Another Journey**

One Year Later:

"What? But Eliwood..." Hector is arguing with Lord Uther.

"No buts. You're needed here, simply for political reasons," Uther told him, ending the argument.

"Fine! But remember, it's your fault if I run away!" Hector yelled angrily.

"...He's going to run away again, isn't he?" Uther asked his knights Oswin and Eiji.

"You can bet on that, sir," Eiji nodded.

"Shall we keep a lookout on him?" Oswin offered.

"Better yet, follow him. Bring Kyo, Lucifer, and Fiaa with you, too. And...I think he also deserves a punishment. Bring Serra along," Uther grinned evilly.

"...Oh, dear Elimine, no..." Oswin complained.

Now, Hector here has a reason to be angry. We'll find out what happened a few days ago, at Castle Pherae...

"Mother, I think it's time we go looking for father. He's gone for far too long without giving us word of anything," Eliwood confronted his mother.

"...All right. You've been asking me this for a while. But...please be careful, Eliwood. If...you can't find Elbert...you're the only one I have left..." his mother said, holding back tears.

"...Don't worry mother, I'll return safely, with father as well." He walked out of the throne room, and was greeted by Mark and Hilda.

"I presume we'll be leaving soon..." the shaman remarked.

"That's right. So let's pack up our things, and meet at the castle gates at noon," Eliwood instructed.

"Yes, milord," and Mark and Hilda went to pack up their belongings.

Eliwood, Marcus, Mark, and Hilda were assembled at the front gates of castle Pherae. "Let's go!'

"Well, everyone, let's just head towards the villages to gather information," Eliwood instructed his group.

"Hold on, milord. My man Lowen will also be traveling with us. I sent him to check on the villages for a few able fighters. Normally, I would not leave in such a small group, but...I honor your decision, milord," Marcus commented. The orange armored paladin then took the leading position in the group.

"I know, Marcus...but in her current state, I cannot deprive my mother of even a single guard. All the best guards went out with father...I...If anything were to happen to mother while I'm not here..." Eliwood trailed off.

"We understand, milord," Hilda walked up to him and patted him on the back. "It's a pity, but we all respect your decision. By the way, what's taking Lowen so long..."

Lowen rode out of the village with a young green haired girl at high speeds, not daring to stop. "LORD ELIWOOD!" the yellow armored paladin called towards his liege.

"Lowen, what happened?" Marcus asked the young cavalier.

"Bandits have taken over the villages! This is what they said: "We've all heard that the knights of Pherae have vanished, right? Well, your misfortune is my good luck! I have an announcement to make! As of now, this village is mine! Groznyi is your new liege! Now, bring every last piece of gold, down to the smallest fleck!"" Lowen imitated the bandits.

"We have to rid them of the bandits, then!" Eliwood remarked.

"We're ready..." Mark took out a flux tome.

The young green haired girl then walked up to Eliwood. "My lord Eliwood? I'm the daughter of the village magistrate. My name's Rebecca. The bandits came without warning. They're stealing everything! I beg you! Please help us!"

"Then stay here, Rebecca, and keep out of sight," Eliwood instructed.

"If it pleases you, milord, I would rather fight. I hunt almost every day, and I have some skill with a bow," Rebecca offered.

"We could use her help, milord. Our little group is lacking in ranged combatants, with me as the only one who can hit targets at a range," Mark commented.

"...All right then, but be careful, Rebecca," Eliwood warned the archer.

"...What's going on out there?" Dorcas said as he walked out of a nearby village, with another man. The other man was slightly bigger and bulkier than dorcas; he has dirty blond hair, with a little beard of a beard growing out of his chin. He also has a headband on his head. The bigger man had a blue shirt on, with the sleeves torn off, as well as matching blue shorts. He also wore short brown boots. They both see Eliwood and his group enter a skirmish with a small group of the bandits from Rebecca's village.

"Hey, isn't that Eliwood, son of the Marquess of Pherae?" the bigger man asked his companion.

"Looks like it," Dorcas replied.

"What's he doing? Hey, he's taking on those bandits. Protecting innocents? That's a right lordly thing to do, isn't it? Right, Dorcas?" the bigger man asked.

"...You talk too much. The lordling needs our help," Dorcas replied, waving for his companion to follow him.

"Right! Leave these mountain weaklings to me! I'm Bartre the Brave!" roared the bigger man, as he rushed into the skirmish with Dorcas.

Eliwood's group just finished off the bandits as Bartre and Dorcas arrived to join their group. "Lord Eliwood!" Dorcas called to the young lord.

"...Dorcas, isn't it? You were traveling with Lyn before..."Eliwood remarked.

"That's correct. Bartre and I would like to lend our services to your group, after we heard that you are going to look for Lord Elbert from your knight. How about it, milord?" Dorcas asked Eliwood.

"...Thank you; you shall receive your payments later. We need all the help we can get. Glad to have you with us, Dorcas and Bartre," Eliwood and Dorcas shook on the deal.

"...I think they're calling for reinforcements..."Mark commented, looking into the distance.

"Then I think we better split into 2 groups. One group will go save the village, and the other will take care of reinforcements. Lord Eliwood, Marcus, Rebecca, and Mark should go help the village. Dorcas, Bartre, Lowen, and I will take care of the reinforcements. Do we agree on this?" Hilda asked the group. Eliwood nodded, and organized the teams, and then they split up to take care of their objectives.

"...It seems that Mark was right," Lowen commented as he saw brigands running towards them. "TO ARMS!"

Dorcas and Bartre threw their hand axes at 2 brigands who were rushing towards them. It seems that in the year he wasn't seen, Dorcas has improved his aim greatly. His hand axe cut through his target's neck as if it was air, and hit an enemy archer behind him in his skull. Bartre's technique wasn't that perfected, but his throw was arguably stronger. The axe went through the brigand's heart and out of his back, having been thrown which such force, and hit the archer behind him in the chest. Lowen and Hilda just looked at them in awe.

Lowen dodged an arrow from another enemy archer, and tossed a javelin at him. The archer evaded it, but was chopped in half by a mighty swing of Bartre's axe. Dorcas spun into a whirlwind and cut down another brigand. Another brigand went behind the group to surprise attack them, but Hilda saw him and bonked him to submission with her heal staff. Lowen rode towards another archer, easily batting away arrows shot at him with his iron lance as if they were drunken mosquitoes. When he was close enough, he spun his lance, and thrust it into his target's gut.

"FLUX!" Mark chanted dark energy balls after dark energy balls at the many bandits in the village. "They just keep coming!" he complained, as he blasted another brigand with another flux spell.

"Where's the leader, Rebecca?" Eliwood asked the archer, as he stabbed his rapier through another bandit.

"I assume he'll be at the town square, collecting everything of value that the village has, milord," Rebecca replied through gritted teeth, launching another arrow at another brigand coming towards the group.

"Then let's move!" Mark called towards the group, blasting a bandit into his companions behind him, and exploding another flux ball into the ground to create a giant dust cloud. He created a small distraction, but long enough to get his team to move to the center of the village.

"What is this, a pack of children coming to play? You think you can challenge me?" the leader, Groznyi, laughed cockily as he saw Eliwood, Mark, and Rebecca ran towards him. He stopped laughing when he saw Marcus, who was covering the small group's rear. "What? Pheraen knights? But that's impossible!" Groznyi was surprised to see the paladin with the teenagers.

"That's him!" Rebecca pointed at the brigand in the middle of the town square. She was really angry, as her face shows, as she loaded half a quiver of arrows in her bow. "ARROW SHOWER!" Rebecca yelled, aiming her bow at a high angle in the brigand's direction. She pulled on the string to its max elasticity, and released it, sending all the arrows raining down on the brigand. Groznyi didn't notice what she was doing until the arrows started raining down on him.

'Damn,' he thought. 'They're only kids!' he tried to dodge and block as many arrows as he can, but at least half of the arrows shot struck him. He screamed in pain, and Rebecca shot an arrow through his chest, and another one through his skull to end his misery.

"Lord Eliwood? We give you our deepest thanks for saving our village from those brigands," a man from the village said as he walked up to Eliwood.

"Think nothing of it. It's a lord's duty to protect his people," Eliwood replied.

"Would that were true, milord. The good folk of Laus know no such protection. Their marquess, Lord Darin, is too busy preparing for war. He ignores all complaints of bandits and thieves," the man told him sadly.

"Preparing for war? Are you sure?"

"I would not lie, milord. My brother lived in Laus until a few days ago. His home was torched, and he had no choice but to flee here. According to him, Laus could go to war any day now. It's all the people of Laus are talking about."

"Lord Eliwood, if this is true, the situation is a grave one. If Marquess Laus is readying for war... His target is most likely another Lycian territory. Perhaps this is connected to Lord Elbert's disappearance," Marcus commented.

"My father and Marquess Laus? It seems a tenuous connection, but it's as good a start as any. Let us travel to Laus. We must learn more," Eliwood said.

"REBECCA! Where do you think you're going, young lady?" the man asked the young archer.

"Father...I...I intend to go with Lord Eliwood," replied Rebecca.

"Don't be ridiculous, girl! Lord Eliwood is not going on a picnic. He's riding into danger," the man said, trying to convince her not to go.

"I know that, Father. That's why I want to go. We owe him our lives, and I want to repay him. My bow may not be all that much, but I know I can be of service!" Rebecca said with conviction. Her father was about to say something, but Rebecca continued. "And, Father... I may meet up with my brother somewhere. You're the magistrate-- you have responsibilities. I... This is all I can offer. I need to do this! Please, Father! Let me go!"

"...You're as stubborn as your mother... You must bow to Lord Eliwood's wishes on this matter. If he consents, you may go," Rebecca's father finally gave in. Rebecca had a large smile on her face now. "Lord Elbert has always been kind of us. Follow his son with a true heart, Rebecca. Serve Lord Eliwood well, as I have served his father."

"So, you'll be traveling with us now, Rebecca?" Hilda asked the archer. Rebecca nodded in response. "That's great! I'll have someone to talk girl stuff with!" Both started talking and gossiping.

"...Girls..." Lowen commented to Mark, who nodded in agreement.

"Word," replied the shaman.

Meanwhile: Ostia

"MATTHEW! MATTHEW! Damn it, where is that cursed..." Hector called for the thief as he walked towards the back door of castle Ostia.

"I'm here, I'm here, milord," replied the cheery thief, walking out of the shadows. He had a VERY large sack on his back, and it looked like he was having trouble carrying it. "And here are your belongings."

"...Don't toy with me," Hector remarked. "There's more than enough things in here for one person."

"Well, to tell you the truth, milord, I also plan on going..."Matthew trailed off.

"Damn it! Did brother tell you to follow me?" Hector asked his vassal.

"...You could say that...and anyways, if you go out alone, there's no telling that you'll make it out alive..." Matthew said.

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"Well...after gathering your belongings, I noticed a few shady characters in the hallways. They were armed to the teeth, and a knight is blocking the back door. They seem to be waiting to ambush you," Matthew told him.

"Nothing me and my axe can't handle," Hector said proudly.

"No doubt, milord, in one on one combat," Matthew said, not wanting to anger Hector. "But...they actually seem competent, unlike bandits. It's like their movement is...organized," Matthew commented.

"...I'll have to see for myself. You can come along if you want..." Hector finally gave in, but said it in a way that wouldn't make him look like he's worried or anything.

Sure enough, as Hector walked onwards, he noticed the 'shady characters' that Matt mentioned. He readied his Wolf Beil. The characters are all cloaked in black, and they all rushed at him. Hector entered a fighting stance. A swordsman rushed at him from his right; Hector easily avoided a swing from his sword, grabbed him by the neck, and threw him towards another oncoming foe. He swung his Wolf Beil mightily at the 2 connected enemy units, chopping both of them in half as he dashed through them.

Hector sent Matthew to go in front of him to take care of the 'shady characters' in the farther parts of the hall. Matthew saw a couple of archers waiting to ambush Hector. 'Hmmm...'he thought. 'This could be a problem.' He moved stealthily towards the backs of the archers, and slit the throat of one of them. Another archer noticed that his companion's body has slumped against the wall, and was about to warn his comrades, when Matthew slit HIS throat. The archers saw nothing, as Matthew repeated this process over and over again until all the archers are dead. He walked towards the end of the hallway, and saw a powerful looking knight blocking the way. 'There's no way I can surprise him when he's facing inside the hallway. I'll have to leave him to Lord Hector,' Matthew thought.

Hector finally reached the end of the hallway, in a state of adrenaline rush. "WHO'S NEXT! I'LL TAKE YOU ON!" he roared.

"Calm down, milord. There's only one more enemy up ahead, but he looks like a formidable foe," Matthew warned him. "If you still plan on going ahead, you should be careful." Hector nodded, and walked towards the enemy knight.

"Who are you people?" Hector asked the knight, who stayed silent. "You're far too organized to be mere bandits." The knight still stayed silent. "You won't talk, eh? Then I'll make you talk!" Hector got into a fighting stance, and so did the knight.

Hector rushed at the knight at a very high speed. The knight didn't expect this from the bulky lord, especially in his heavy armor. The knight, however, recovered quickly enough to put his shield in front of him to block Hector's charge, and repelled the young lord back. 'Damn,' Hector thought, struggling to regain his balance.

The knight thrust his lance at Hector, who evaded it, and grabbed it under his left arm. Hector kicked the knight in his chest, hoping to make him let go of the lance. This plan failed however, as the knight blocked the kick with his shield, and pushed Hector back again. As Hector tried to regain his balance again, the knight rushed towards the lord, and thrust his lance hard at Hector's gut.

Hector put his Wolf Beil on the side of his torso to block the lance, which pushed him back even more. However, he did manage to destroy the tip of the lance completely. The knight swung his lance down at Hector. Hector rushed in, and parried it to the side with one of his shoulder plates, and swung his Wolf Beil down hard onto his opponent's skull.

"...Milord, what about gathering information from him?" Matthew asked Hector as he walked up to the lord.

"What? Oh, right, sorry...I was a spur of the moment thing," panted a grinning Hector.

The two walked out, to be greeted by Oswin, Eiji, Kyo, Fiaa, Lucifer, and to their dismay, Serra. "Lord Hector, what took you so long?" Lucifer asked the lord.

"WHAT? WHO SAID ALL OF YOU COULD COME!" Hector asked angrily.

"Lord Uther did, of course," Serra replied. "That means we get to spend time together! Isn't that great, Lord Hector?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hector yelled, and started cursing his bad luck.

"You don't have to yell, sheesh!" Serra huffed.

End Chapter one of Eliwood's and Hector's Tales.

Please R&R!


	17. HectorEliwood 2: Birds of a Feather

Dislcaimer: I don't own FE and whatevever

I'm thinking of the most horrible pairing I can think up for Serra since the most important guys I already have a pairing for...I haven't decided yet; I'm thinking of putting her with either Guy or Raven right now...

On a side note, Hiro will be back when Eliwood reaches Castle Caelin, because that's where our main protagonist is staying.

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH **

**Eliwood's and Hector's Tales chapter 2: Birds of a Feather**

"This is going to be a looong trip," Hector complained.

"Oh, it couldn't possibly be this bad, milord. We have Matthew to keep her company," Oswin chuckled.

"...Hey...hey...WHAT! YOU WISH!" replied the thief. Apparently, even this cheery one can't stand the horror that is the unbelievably talkative Serra.

"Well, we should camp here tonight," Eiji commented. "It's getting really dark...and I think Miss Serra will also stop complaining about her feet when we do..."

"Hey, I need to keep the beauty of my feet in perfect condition in case someone wants to kiss it!"

"She wishes..." Hector sighed. 'Yup. This is going to be a looong trip.'

Lucifer walked away from the camp to climb up a tree and sleep there. He couldn't stand large gatherings of nobles. Back in Ilia, those drunken fools didn't bother him. He just couldn't fit in with high ranking people, not after what happened to Karel, his best friend...at least, his best friend when they were kids.

Flashback:

"...Look, Karel, you have a younger sister now! Her name is Karla," said the loving voice of the boy's mother.

Karel and Lucifer were 6 years old back then. They were both naïve and innocent little boys who liked to play games with the other village children. Lucifer was adopted into the family because of his natural ability with handling swords, as Karel's family lived on the way of the blade. Karel's mother found the baby in a bundle on her doorstep one morning, with a note telling her of Lucifer's age and name, but not why he was there.

Also, in the bundle, was a beautiful golden necklace with a diamond in its center.

The family was lived peacefully in the plains of Sacae, but only when the father of the family isn't there. He was a fugitive from Ilia who had a drinking problem, hiding in the plains to avoid people that wanted him to pay his debts, which amounted to about a million gold. Karel's mother offered him shelter, and they fell in love, and soon after, had Karel as their first son. Things were going smoothly for a while, until the father came across alcoholic drinks again.

He became his old self again, always getting drunk. The mother managed to rehabilitate him for a year, which was the year they had Karla. But then he became drunk again, and this time, he was hooked on something far more powerful than even Ilian rum. The Sacaeans of the village wouldn't allow it, and banished the family out of the tribe.

He went on a journey to create the perfect brew that won't get him addicted, but failed to find anything like it. However, he did create the drink that he became really addicted to. The materials, however, were expensive, and he had to buy them from the city that they lived in after they were banished. They had to borrow a lot of money from the lord of the castle because of the father's debts. Soon, however, the lord realized that he wasn't going to get any of his money paid back, and sent his men to hunt down the drunkard.

The drunkard was obviously very scared when he heard of this from his drinking buddies. So he went to his last resort, and to make one final debt. He went to the Black Fang, and asked them to protect him from the noble. The Black Fang agreed to do it, because the noble was an oppressor. However, this journey took months to complete, and during those few months, the family starved in his absence because no one would lend them any more money. The noble raised his taxes to recover the wealth he lost, and made everyone in the city hate the family because of the drunkard's debts.

"...I can't take this anymore. This is all father's fault," said the young Karel, hardened with starvation and hatred for his father. That day, he packed up his things, and...just left.

Then the Black Fang came and liberated the people from this lord, and had the son of the lord take his place. The son of the lord apparently is a much better leader than his father, and the city went back to the state it was in before the drunkard arrived, and further improved.

However, the small Sacaean family still had problems. Like how they were going to pay the Black Fang for this one. The drunkard didn't think about this when he asked them for help; he just wanted to save his own life. So he and their leader came up with a solution; his children will work for him.

Everything fell apart soon after. Karla was sent out to do a mission on a faraway continent, and the mother fell ill with an unknown sickness. The drunkard got drunk even more, and sometimes went and beat Lucifer and his wife. The mother soon died after, leaving only Lucifer and the drunkard behind.

Lucifer, having been trained in the arts of the sword by his adoptive mother, wanted to forget the Sacaean style of sword fighting so he wouldn't have any memories of her. He was trained by the leader of the Black Fang himself, seeing that the boy had such great potential.

Lucifer was befriended by a then-young man named Legault, who is a thief, when he first arrived at the headquarters. They easily became good friends. Then Brendan Reed found a red-haired boy, and took him in, named him Jaffar, and trained him as well. Lucifer became one of his mentors. Everything was good, until SHE ruined it.

She was a beautiful black haired lady, always wearing a black robe, and a white cloak with red patterns on it over the robe. She let her long hair flow freely. She was an object of lust, but there were a few creepy things about her. She had piercing yellow eyes that glow in the dark, like a cat's. That, and it seems that she doesn't age. She's been married to Brendan for 25-or so years now (now as in the timeline of the story, not the flashback), and they had 2 sons, Linus and Lloyd, who became fast friends with Lucifer. During those 20 years, Sonia never grew a wrinkle on her perfect face.

Then a girl washed up on the shore. Brendan felt pity for her, and took her in. Sonia, however, disliked the idea, and it seemed like she wanted to throw the girl out, but restrained herself. They called her Nino.

Lucifer was 20 years old, only a few years older than Linus and Lloyd. He was about to go out on another mission, when Sonia summoned him. With her was another beautiful woman; she looked younger than Sonia; Sonia looked like she was in her 30's but this one was only in her 20's. They looked like sisters; their clothes and looks were very similar, except the younger one tied her hair in a ponytail; and instead of a long flowing dress, she had a skirt on. Lucifer was attracted by this new girl.

"Lucifer, meet Limstella. She was sent by...our father to seek out a...husband. I noticed that she seems to be attracted to you. She likes that necklace you have on..." Sonia spoke for her ...sister. Oh, if only he knew back then.

"...May I see it?" Limstella walked up seductively towards Lucifer. Taken in by lust, he just handed her his necklace. However, when she touched it, she was hit by a dark energy ball that came out of the necklace. "...Ow..."

"Oh...my...I'm...I'm sorry," Lucifer begged for forgiveness. Limstella looked at Sonia, and nodded.

"Oh...it's all right, Lucifer. Stand up," Sonia commanded. The mercenary obeyed. "Now, don't you have a mission to do?"

'Damn, I blew it big time! My necklace hasn't ever done this before, WHY did it have to do that NOW, of all the times? GEEZ!' Lucifer complained to himself. He headed towards the back door of the Black Fang headquarters.

The back door, however, was barricaded by...people. Lucifer walked up to them, and asked them to move, but they didn't respond, not even blink. He did this for a long time. He got annoyed, and waved his hands in front of their eyes. What happened here scared him. He waved his hands under the person's nose. The person didn't even breathe.

"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!" Lucifer jumped back. "What are you people?"

"...They are morphs...they can't think, see, feel, talk, age, or breathe. They are just mindless golems made to do the dirty work of their creators, like killing people..." Limstella said as she walked out of the shadows. "Get the necklace," she ordered the morphs.

"HEY! What the?" Lucifer yelled as the morphs, 3 mercenaries and 3 archers, attacked him. "Is this about this morning? Didn't I already apologize?"

"...As a matter of fact it is. Lord Nergal wants that necklace, and we will have it," Limstella said.

"...Nergal..." Lucifer said while dodging another attack from the morphs. "Why does he want it?" He took his Silver Sword out of its sheathe and sliced one of the morphs in half. He saw that it could still move, so he beheaded it, finally making it stop moving.

"As you know, Lord Nergal has...become a benefactor to the Black Fang, you could say. This was only done for a grand scheme of his," Limstella explained. "These morphs are his, and so are Sonia and I."

'So that's why she doesn't age,' Lucifer thought. "But you're a morph, too! How come you can talk? And you look like you actually have feelings."

"It's called acting. Lord Nergal wants that necklace because he thinks that you, its owner will become a threat to his plans," Limstella explained. "Though he is yet to tell us why."

"Well, I'm not staying long enough to find out!" Lucifer said, as he finished off the last of the morphs.

"...The necklace will be Lord Nergal's," Limstella said, launching an Elfire spell towards Lucifer, who got burnt pretty badly.

"URGH!" he grunted. He had experienced being hit by this spell before, but never by one this powerful. Obviously, Limstella is a powerful sage. "...Grr..." Limstella launched another spell, and aimed it at the silver sword in Lucifer's hand. It melted from the spell's power. "Damn!"

"You should just stand still, if you don't want to get hurt even more," Limstella said, walking up to the mercenary.

"...I won't die here! NOT NOW!" Lucifer yelled.

To Limstella, after he yelled it, a flash of white light appeared where Lucifer was, and she felt a powerful dark energy engulf him. After the flash disappeared, she saw that Lucifer had a new sword in his hand.

'Etherion?' Lucifer thought to himself.

"...Hmph. So I am too late. It looks like I must take the sword as well," Limstella said, charging up another spell, and launching it.

"RAGH!" Lucifer swung his sword like a bat at the flaming projectile. Surprisingly, it sent the projectile flying back instead of melting the diamond blade of the sword. Limstella didn't foresee this and was his by her own spell, sent back at her at twice the speed she sent it, and was damaged badly. She was lying on the ground, her white cloak burnt from the spell. "...Damn...so...finish me," she said.

"...Morph or not, I don't kill women..." Lucifer said.

They just stayed there not moving for a long time.

"...You said that morphs don't have feelings...what about Sonia...and you?" Lucifer asked the sage.

"...We're special, but we still aren't supposed to have emotions. Sonia was the first one to break that rule, by having children with Brendan. Or she could just have been acting," Limstella explained.

"...How about you? Don't you wish you could feel? Anything, like regret, fear, hatred...love?"

"...I was not created to think about such things..."

"...Maybe you can feel, though, or at least...act a bit rebellious. You're opening up to me right now even though...you're supposed to kill me, but you lost the fight and I'm supposed to kill you," Lucifer said.

"...That's true...I...didn't notice that," she stuttered.

"...Are you all right?" Lucifer said, helping the sage get up.

"...Why are you helping me?" Limstella asked him. "...I am...confused..."

"Maybe to prove that you CAN feel...to help you break that barrier of not being able to feel...to show you what a gentleman I am...to hit on you..."

"...That would be pointless."

"Really?" Lucifer pressed his mouth into Limstella's. Limstella, for the first time in her life, blushed, and felt heat coming up from her face. Her heart beat faster, and she was confused by this. "...I wished we could have met under different circumstances," Lucifer said sadly, and left the base. "...And tell Sonia, I'm quitting the Black Fang. I hope you're a good liar; because I want you to tell her...Aw hell, just say whatever you want." With that, the mercenary dashed out.

'...What...what is that...feeling?' Limstella thought, holding a pillar to support herself.

Lucifer became a freelance mercenary after that. He moved to Ostia, hoping that the Fang couldn't find him there, and served the lord there for 2 years, and became a good friend of one of the castle staff. However, the Fang somehow found him, and he had to leave. He left for Ilia to work there. His friend died soon after he left.

Lucifer decided to change his looks if he wanted to remain invisible to the fang. He cut his long Navi blue hair, and combed it so that his bangs almost covered his grey-eyes. He put on a dark grey tunic, black pants, brown boots, and bought a new black cloak.

On his way to Ilia, he met a man called the 'Sword Demon.'

"...Karel? Is that you?" Lucifer was overjoyed to finally meet his adoptive brother again. However, Karel was...different. He didn't have that carefree attitude and friendly face he always had when he was a kid. No...now he was a cold-blooded killer, as the stories say. Karel admits it.

Lucifer couldn't believe it, until Karel said, "...If you weren't family, I'd kill you where you stand." Then Karel just left.

END FLASHBACK:

"NO! MINE!" Lucifer woke to the sound of Serra screaming...and fell out of the tree. "The ladies should have their shares first! Right, Fiaa?"

"eheh...eheh...um...right?" Fiaa agreed, sweatdropping, after seeing Serra's death glare.

"That was a great meal! Shall we get moving?" Kyo asked Hector.

"ONWARDS! And Serra?" Hector asked the cleric. Serra turned to look at Hector. "No complaining, or you WILL get your dinner last."

Meanwhile:

"So have you sent the message to Lord Helman?" Eliwood asked his messenger.

"Yes, milord," replied the messenger.

"Then let's go to Santaruz castle."

At Santaruz Castle:

"What? Eliwood is coming?" the marquess panicked.

"Yes, He has set camp up on a hill south of here. He seeks permission to enter Santaruz. He seeks an audience with you," replied a black cloaked man with piercing yellow eyes.

"Ephidel... Could it be... Do you think Eliwood's come to ask of his father? If that's the case... I... I know not what to tell him," Lord Helman panicked even more.

"Tell him you know nothing, and send him on his way," replied Ephidel calmly.

"Yet... I know young Eliwood well. His father, Elbert, and I are old friends. I've no children of my own, and I've always treasured Eliwood. I do not believe I could look him in the eye and... I could not lie to him. I could not," the marquess replied with conviction.

"We've no choice then. Let us chase the boy away. If you do not speak with him, you need tell no lies," Ephidel said, about to leave the room to give his orders.

"Wait! Do you mean to harm Eliwood?" Helman asked the cloaked man, worried.

"Not harm. Frighten. A scratch or two will leave no scars. He will run home to Pherae and be done with his adventure. He is, after all, all that Pherae has left..." Ephidel calmly replied, and left the room.

On the way to the Castle:

"Instead of entering Laus with such a small group, we should meet with Marquess Santaruz and request his assistance... I see the sense in that. It's a good plan, Mark," commented Marcus.

"Lord Helman... He's not only my father's friend. I've known him since I was a child. I'm sure that he will help us," Eliwood told the group.

A man, by his looks a bandit, came up to Eliwood and the group, and started to beg. "Heh heh heh... noble sires, Alms for a poor villager."

"Poor villager? You look nothing like an honest man! Clear the road, and step quickly, or.." Marcus commanded, but the bandit interrupted him.

"Step quickly? Heh heh... Good advice. Maybe it's you who should follow it!" the bandit laughed, and started walking back. "Someone wants the boy in an early grave. A shame if you ask me, but he'll die here today. C'mon, boys! Earn your keep!" he called for his comrades.

The group walked by a house. "Hmm... You look like you've some experience with battle. No need to conceal it. I've fought in many a battle in my time, I assure you. Let me tell you one thing about combat, though. The most important thing is technique. If you've no skill, you'll rearely strike your enemy. My instructor gave me this secret book long ago. It will improve the fighting prowess of the one who reads it. I'm too old to make use of it, so why don't you take it?" A man gave Mark an old book, and went back inside his house. "He's...really generous..." he commented, sweatdropping.

"I saw them, I did. About a month ago... Marquess Pherae and his men passed right through here. They've all gone missing, haven't they? A group as strong as that just up and vanishing... Couldn't have been bandits, but... I don't believe it. Must've been something terrible. The world's become a dangerous place, it has," another man commented as they passed another house.

"The marquess who leads Santaruz is Lord Helman. He doesn't aks for much, and he's a nice enough fellow. I wouldn't call him weak, but he is more follower than leader. Lately, he's been meeting with Marquess Laus quite a lot. I hope nothing bad comes of it, but..." commented another villager.

"If that is the case...could Lord Helman have ordered these men to attack us?" Marcus pondered.

"That's...that's impossible! Lord Helman is a friend of my father's; he would never..." Eliwood said, not wanting to believe what Marcus said.

The group killed brigand after brigand. The enemy forces are decreasing, slowly but surely, but Eliwood's group are being pushed back, however.

"Damn!" Mark cursed. "They're pushing us back! They want to corner us on that ledge!"

"How many are there...this looks hopeless," Hilda commented.

"Hey! What's going on over there? Looks like some rough business. You! Soldier! Are you just going to stand there and watch?" Hector asked a guard.

"Who do you think you are? This is Santaruz. What occurs here is no affair of any foreign lordling!" the guard replied.

"I believe I'm going to have to disagree with you. You see, the man they're attacking happens to be a friend of mine," Hector told the guard.

"A friend...OOF!" Hector punched the guard hard in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.

"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry," Hector apologized to the slumped man.

"EEEWW! That's terrible! I loathe violence!" Serra said.

"Says the person who whacks people with Heal Staves..." Matthew trailed off, and was whacked by her heal staff . "See what I mean?"

"It was an act of self-defense!" Serra said, which was always her excuse.

"I cannot condone resorting to violence so quickly..." Oswin started.

"Chastise me later, Oswin. First, we deal with these brigands! Come! We must help Eliwood!" Hector commanded.

"Help Eliwood? Sounds like a convenient excuse for more violence," commented the knight.

"OSWIN!"

"(sighs) yes, yes, milord, I'm coming..."

"Matthew! Take Serra and find someplace to hide," Hector commanded the thief.

"WHAT? WITH SERRA!"

"NO! I'm going with you!" Serra said forcefully.

"...You know, while you're arguing, Eliwood's group is getting massacred out there..." Lucifer commented, and ended the argument.

Eliwood thrust his rapier into an enemy knight, cutting through his target's armor and piercing his gut. Eliwood was about to be struck down from behind, however.

"Lord Eliwood, behind you!" Mark yelled. Eliwood turned around to see a mercenary barreling down on him. He struck his rapier out quickly to stab the swordsman's throat. His strike hit, but the mercenary also made a deep cut on his shoulder.

2 Fighters rushed in at the wounded lord, and was about to strike him down, when Kyo dived and grabbed Eliwood off the ground. Kyo flew towards Hector and put the young lord down.

"Thank you. Hector!" Eliwood thanked Kyo, and looked up to see his best friend. "...What are you doing here?"

"Serra. Heal him," Hector commanded. Serra walked over and applied her healing magic on him. Eliwood thanked her. "Well, I came to help you find your father. Originally, only I meant to go, but my brother forced these other ones to accompany me as well. Why didn't you send word that you were leaving, though?"

"Your brother was just named Marquess Ostia. He's going to be very busy setting up his court council. Lord Uther must need your support. You are his brother, after all," Eliwood pointed out.

"My brother is not so weak. Oh, he has mentioned some things in public, but... He knew exactly what I was planning, and he let me go," Hector told his friend.

"Is that so? Well then, it would be unwise to refuse his kindness! It does me good to see you, Hector. Thank you," Eliwood bowed his thanks.

"Think nothing of it. Here's my crew right now," Hector showed his group to Eliwood. "Now, how about we help Eliwood's group?"

"I'm running out of Flux tomes to use!"

"My heal staff just shattered!"

"My Javelin!"

"My quiver's empty!"

"...Wimps..." Marcus complained, and becomes a human wall for his group while they restocked their supplies, parrying blows here and there with his shield, as his Iron Lance was just recently broken.

"We're coming!" Eliwood yelled. Hector's group attacked the bandits from their rear flank. Kyo let loose a giant gale from his sword, killing a large number of the bandits.

"Gravity Star!" Lucifer yelled, raising his sword up high, like you would normally use a Light Brand or Rune Sword. A 6 pointed flat star of dark energy appeared above a small group of bandits. Lucifer swung his sword downwards, and as he did, the star came down on the group, crushing them. When the star disappeared, the bandits under it have suffocated from having the giant weight force all the air out of their body.

"Bah! You put up a good fight for a pampered noble pup. It's up to me to finish you!" a fighter, who seems to be the bandits' leaders, yelled as Eliwood, Hector, and Mark ran towards him.

"FLUX!" Mark summoned a ball of dark energy, and exploded it on the fighter. The fighter, however, was quick, and dodged the blast, though just barely.

"My turn!" The fighter threw a hand axe at Mark, who ducked under the projectile.

Eliwood swung his rapier, only to have its blade blocked by the bandit's axe. The fighter swung his axe mightily at Eliwood, who ducked to avoid it. Eliwood stabbed at the fighter's knee, stunning him. Hector chucked his Wolf Beil at the fighter after that. The fighter blocked it with his axe, but his axe shattered from the sheer force of Hector's throw, and he was sent sprawling backwards. He got up again, only to receive a rapier cutting one of his major arteries.

"Now, let me introduce you to my group," Hector said. He pointed at Kyo, Fiaa, and Lucifer. "The wyvern rider Kyo is a mercenary from the continent of Chija, and the other two, Fiaa and Lucifer, are from Ilia. They're very good fighters and are some of my brother's most trusted warriors." Hector pointed at the knights. "That's Eiji, another person from Chija, who became a knight at our castle. And I believe you already know Oswin, Eliwood." Eliwood nodded.

"It's good to see you again, Oswin. So you came as well?" Eliwood asked the knight.

"Yes. Lord Uther was worried about Lord Hector traveling alone. I've been ordered to keep a close eye on him," Oswin confirmed what Hector told Eliwood before.

"Of course," Eliwood chuckled. "Glad to have you with us."

Then Serra and Matthew came running towards the group. "LORD HECTOR! Why didn't you tell us that the fighting was done?" Serra asked Hector.

"I'm sorry, milord, but I couldn't restrain her any longer..." Matthew apologized.

"...Are they also your travel companions, Hector?" Eliwood asked his friend.

"Oh... Yes, I suppose they are. One might have hoped for better, but..."Hector sighed.

"That was uncalled for! I can't believe you said that! Matthew, did you hear what he said about you?" Serra said angrily.

"Me? He was talking about you!" the thief argued.

"(sigh) The noisy one is Serra. Believe it or not, she's a cleric," Hector pointed towards Serra. Eliwood's group sweatdropped as Serra beat Matthew senseless with her heal staff. "...Don't worry, that's pretty normal," Hector said, shaking his head.

"And that's Matthew. He does a lot of... sneaking around," Hector pointed at the thief who is now lying on the ground, knocked out.

"...Hello, milord..." Matthew said, struggling to push himself up into a standing position again.

"Sneaking...around..."Eliwood said.

"Well... I, er... gather information, open doors, chests, and such. I've got... nimble fingers," Matthew managed to grin, and dusted himself.

"That sounds like a thief's work..." Eliwood commented.

"Well...don't let it worry you. This journey... I suspect it will be harder than you imagine. You may have to accept things like this if you want to survive," Hector said.

"What is it, Hector? Do you know something?"

"Nothing specific. Rumors abound, though. A league of assassins from Bern has been moving around in Lycia. Experienced bounty hunters and mercenaries are vanishing..." Hector started.

"That reminds me; one of the men who attacked us said something odd..." Eliwood remembered.

"What was it?"

"Lord Eliwood, if I may?" Marcus stepped in to answer.

"Marcus! Good to see you!" Hector greeted the paladin.

"Lord Hector, it's been far too long. Your assistance is greatly appreciated," Marcus bowed.

"Come now, Marcus. No need for such formalities. Tell me what you heard."

"Of course. The apparent leader of that gang of thugs... He indicated that someone was watching Lord Eliwood... That someone needed him dead," Marcus told Hector.

"Hmm... That is troubling. Actually, a captain of the guard was watching the fight when we arrived. He was a knight of Santaruz, and yet he just stood there and let a lord be attacked. I think he was planning on seeing you die," Hector remarked.

"So...Mark, what do you think?" Eliwood asked the shaman.

"I think that something may have happened to Lord Helman. You remember what that villager said, right, milord?" Mark asked Eliwood.

"Yes... You might be right. Something may have happened to Lord Helman, too. Come! We must hurry to the castle!" Eliwood urged the group.

"How about introducing me to the rest of your group, Eliwood?" Hector asked his friend.

"Oh, of course. The archer is Rebecca; she lives in a village close to Pherae. The cavalier, Lowen, is one of Marcus's knights. The fighters, Dorcas and Bartre, the one in yellow and the other in blue, respectively, are freelance mercenaries. The shaman, Mark, and the cleric, Hilda, are tacticians."

"I see. Well then, shall we get moving?" Hector asked, and the group moved towards Castle Santaruz.

End Eliwood/Hector's tale chapter 2

Please R&R!


	18. HectorEliwood 3: In Search of Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever.

Okay. Finally decided on a pairing for Serra. I pity da foo' that ends up in this pairing with Serra.

On a side note, it's 3 more chapters until Hiro is back.

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Eliwood's and Hector's tale Chapter 3: In Search of Truth**

"...Oh, yes...today will be a most painful day for us men..." Mark commented, walking towards the other young men in the group, unable to stand the very loud and disturbing discussion coming out of Rebecca, Hilda, and Serra. But mostly Serra.

At Santaruz Castle:

"Ephidel! What is the meaning of this?" asked a panicked Lord Helman.

"Peace, Lord Helman. Whatever is wrong?" the cloaked man asked the marquess calmly.

"You said you were just going to frighten Eliwood! Your men almost killed him! My patience is at an end! I've decided I must tell Eliwood everything and apologize," Helman told the cloaked man with conviction.

"...You'll betray us?"

"I am tired of you and the Black Fang! Now, remove yourself from my castle! Your presence pains me!"

"...There's nothing I can do to change your mind?"

"Nothing!"

"Then you are no longer of any use to us. A regrettable decision," Ephidel said. He then chanted a thunder spell, electrocuting the marquess to an inch of his life. "...pity," he said, and walked out.

Outside:

"Well, we're here, Lord Eliwood!" Mark remarked. "And would someone PLEASE, for the love of Elimine, SHUT SERRA UP?"

"How rude!" Serra said, and bonked Mark on the head with her heal staff, and they started arguing, making Hilda and Rebecca giggle.

"We must speak with Lord Helman..."Eliwood said, ignoring the magic users' antics and walked quickly towards the castle. However, a knight blocked his path.

"That's not gonna happen, laddie!" the knight said.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I? Ah, boy, you'd do better to worry about yourself. You'll be worm's meat before much longer!" the knight laughed.

"You think so? I think my axe'll change your mind," Hector growled, as he walked up to Eliwood's location, and readied his Wolf Beil.

"Ha! the cub thinks he's a wolf! Does your bite match your bark? Tell you what: if you make it to the castle alive, we'll find out, eh? Geh heh heh hehhh!" the knight laughed again. He then retreated to his post, and when Eliwood and Hector were going to chase him down, their path was blocked by a group of four cavaliers.

"Damn it!" Hector cursed, dodging a thrust from an Iron Lance. Eliwood sliced the tip off the lance, and stabbed his rapier into the disarmed cavalier. Hector jumped, raised his axe high above his head, and swung his axe down heavily on another unlucky cavalier. Now only the javelin-wielders are left. They tossed their javelins at the lords, but Eliwood easily dodged his, and the other javelin was parried to the side by one of Hector's shoulder pads. Eliwood stabbed his rapier into his opponent's horse's thrat, making the rider lose his balance. Once on the ground, Eliwood finished the cavalier off. Hector dashed to the side of his opponent, grabbed the cavalier by the neck, and slammed him down hard on the ground with a choke slam. He then beheaded the cavalier with his axe.

"Lord Helman..." Eliwood said, worriedly, and urged his group to move onwards.

Back at the castle:

"Hey, you! Yeah, the new dog! Get this right, or you're gone!" a fighter commanded a Sacaean myrmidon who was standing in the hallway.

"Yeah, yeah...I just got this job, of course I don't want to lose it!" the myrmidon replied. "'Course, the smart thing to do would have been not to get involved with this ugly bunch. Got to have gold if I want to eat, though. I was too picky before. If I think about the time I passed out in Caelin... ooooh. Nothing funny about that! That man... What was his name... Matthew? If it hadn't been for him, I would've starved to death..." he mumbled.

"What are you mumbling about?" asked the fighter. "Come on!"

"All right, all right, already..." the myrmidon said.

Outside:

"Geez...what's this? Those lordlings are our target? ...Hm? Isn't that..." Guy mumbled, scanning the battlefield, and saw a thief he knew all too well. Matthew snuck behind an enemy fighter and stabbed him.

"sigh..." Guy sighed, readying his sword, and getting ready to fight. The thief noticed the Myrmidon.

"...Hey! Aren't you Guy?" the thief asked the myrmidon cheerily.

"Um...yeah. Matthew, right?" Guy greeted him back.

"That's right!" replied the cheery thief.

"Um...you know we're on different sides in this battle, right?" Guy asked the thief. "Shouldn't we be fighting?"

"Oh, really? ...Hmm...wait. Do you recall, that for every piece of meat I gave you, you owe me a favor?" Matthew asked, grinning, slyly.

"...Uh, yeah...I owe you 4 now..."

"Well, I'd like to use one of those up now. I'd like you to join my side and help my group instead!" Matthew's grin widened.

"Wha..? BUT...Bhuh...I..I just joined this group, because I needed the money!" replied a flustered Guy.  
"Well...I'm just using up a favor. And as I have heard the people of Sacae tell no lies, isn't that right?" Matthew shook his finger.

"Gheh..ga...GEEZ! FINE! sigh At least I won't have to be hanging around this bad bunch anymore..." Guy gave in, not wanting to besmirch the name of the Sacaeans nor break his values, and looked on the bright side of things. "Just one thing though...You know I'm a little short on gold, so do you think I could get paid if I work with your group as a mercenary?"

"...Just ask the boss later!" Matthew grinned, and resumed fighting. Guy sighed, and joined his new ally in slicing down enemy fighters to ribbons.

Mark, Hilda, Hector, and Rebecca rushed through the enemy lines like an arrow towards the castle, presumably the location of the leader of their attackers, while everybody else covered them.

Marcus neared a village, to warn them to close the gates, and to restock on food, as well. He entered it, and was greeted by a man. "A merchant just went running past here in a panic. He dropped some things. I tried to tell him, but... It looked like he's the sort that drop things a lot..." the man said.

"If you value your lives, stay clear of the castle southwest of here. There's a swordsman named Guy... He's young, but deadly. He carries a killing edge, a feaful sword to be sure. I'm warning you: find another road to the castle," another man told Marcus.

"What? Oh...no...ehhhh, Lord Hector and the others will be fine...I hope," Marcus said to himself.

"This will never do! Look at the time! I must leave for Caelin now, or my business will be ruined. Time is money, after all. Hurry hurry! Rush rush rush!" An old blue haired merchant with a mustache ran past the paladin. He dropped a torch in his rush.

"...I guess this was the person that other man was talking about," Marcus said, picking up the torch to return it to the merchant, but had lost sight of him when he got back on his horse. "...I guess I'll just keep this for now..."

"Ah, what good timing. Would you try this for me? It's an invention of a great witch! Me! It's a mine. It contains some very explosive magic. Hide it on the ground, and when an enemy steps on it... KA-BOOOOM! Hee hee hee... I'm still testing them, so that one's free. Come back and tell me how it works," a witch greeted Marcus, gave him an odd looking disk. "But be really careful when handling it! It's explosive!" she warned the paladin, who held the small item with utmost fear of having it blow up in his face.

Back outside the village:

"What's this? You've made it this far? Ah, I paid too much for that worthless pack of sellswords!" the knight commented as the group of 4 neared his position.

"It's really too bad you won't live long enough to tell them about it!" Hector yelled, and readied his Wolf Beil. He rushed towards the knight. "What did you do with Marquess Santaruz?"

"Let's just say that he's on his way to a better place," the knight replied.

"YOU FIEND!" Hector quickened his pace.

"Lord Hector, wait!" Hilda warned the lord. The knight smirked. Hector's attack was so obvious. He readied his lance to strike down the lord. However, at throwing range, Hector swung his Wolf Beil in a whirlwind and tossed it at the knight. The knight didn't expect this, so his immediate reaction was to put up his shield to block it. Big mistake. It was stuck in his shield, and the sheer force of the throw threw him backwards, making him fall on his back. And a knight trying to get himself back up is like a tortoise trying to flip itself over when it's upside down. However, he had some backup.

"HOW ABOUT SOME HELP OVER HERE!" the knight yelled. 2 archers came to his aid, bombarding Hector with their arrows, while the knight got himself to stand up again. The arrows mostly bounced off Hector's armor, but it still pushed the young lord back.

"Ready...aim...FIRE!" Hilda yelled the command. The archers stopped shooting Hector to see who said it. The last thing one of them ever saw was an arrow heading towards his head at mach 1. The other thing had his essence drained from him by a purple cloud.

"Damn it! Worthless!" the knight cursed, as he pulled the axe out of his shield. He chucked the axe at Hector, who dodged it, and picked it out of the ground where it landed. However, the axe was stuck really deep, and he had a hard time pulling it out. He turned around while swinging his axe in a whirlwind, which almost hit a knight who was charging at him. The knight managed to barely dodge it, and gave Hector a hard punch to the jaw, knocking the young lord out. He was about to impale Hector when Mark blasted him with a Flux spell.

The knight was blasted backwards a short distance; he didn't expect the shaman's attack. He slammed his lance into the ground, and took out a Javelin from his back. He tossed it at Hilda.

"Hilda!" the cleric was running towards Hector to heal the lord with Mark by her side. Mark noticed that the lance was aiming towards the cleric, so he pushed her aside to take the blow. The javelin got him in his gut. "...URG...GAH..." Mark managed to have enough willpower to take the lance out of his body, and cast one last spell. "NOSFERATU!" His will to live made the spell become stronger than usual; a white circle appeared around him before the spell was launched. A much darker and bigger purple cloud enveloped the knight, who screamed in agony and pain, unseen by the darkness of the cloud, making Rebecca wince. Mark then absorbed the dark cloud, and the javelin wound disappeared. "Good as new," he grinned.

"...Freaky..." Rebecca commented.

Eliwood rushed inside Lord Helman's room, to find him down on the ground. "Don't step any closer, milord!" Mark warned Eliwood, noticing that Helman's body still had static coming out of it.

"...Eliwood?" the marquess looked up to see the Pheraen youth in front of him.

"Lord Helman! Hold on, please, sir..." Eliwood stepped closer, ignoring the small numbness the static gave him.

"Eliwood...I'm sorry...your...father..."

"Do you know something, sir?" Eliwood asked the marquess.

"I... If I hadn't told Elbert... about... Darin's plans... This would... never... have...happened..." Helman coughed.

"Lord Helman!"

"...Go...to...Laus...Darin...Marquess Laus...knows all..."

"Marquess Laus?"

"...Also...beware...the Black...Fang..." and with these final words, Lord Helman died, which sent a shiver down Lucifer's spine.

"...He's dead," Kyo commented.

"...No...why did this have to happen..." Eliwood shook his head sadly.

"Blast it! What's going on?" Hector asked angrily.

"...We have to go to Laus. Lord Helman said that the marquess of Laus has all the answers..." Eliwood told his friend.

"You're right. We should leave quickly. I'm not sure how far we can go today, but... I can't sit still," Hector got ready to leave, when a man walked inside the room.

"I'm the steward of Santaruz. With our lord gone, what are we to do?..." the man told the lords.

"First, you give Lord Helman a proper burial. After that... I'm sure the Lycian Council will have to meet. Stay here and defend the castle until you hear more," Eliwood instructed the steward.

"Let's go, Eliwood," Hector called his friend.

"...All right. Hopefully, we'll find all the answers at Laus. Lord Helman, may you find peace..." Eliwood saluted the dead marquess, and left the castle.

'Them again...is she also involved in this?' Lucifer thought. He sighed; he wished he wouldn't ever have to make contact with them ever again. 'At least, if we are to meet again...I hope...she'll understand...' he thought, secretly hoping that he'd see the beautiful yellow eyed morph again.

The group left the castle and headed for Laus.

End Eliwood's and Hector's tale chapter 3

Please R& R!


	19. HectorEliwood 3x and 4

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever...

I'm combining these 2 chapters since 13x is really too short for anything.

And I'm going to focus more on the characters in the actual game for this huge chapter, because Hiro's returning in the next update, and that's when I'll focus more on the Sword users.

My version of Guy and Matt's C support.

I'm thinking of putting a little bit of Glen Quagmire into our favorite cynical mage...what do you guys think? Please comment on the reviews.

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Eliwood's and Hector's tale chapter 3 Gaiden and Chapter 4: The Peddler Merlinus, and False Friends**

The Dragon Lands:

"...Alveen hasn't tried anything for a year yet...I'm worried..." Rodrak said to his father. "And...I'm worried about brother, too..."

"Don't worry, Kuro can take care of himself..." the elder silver dragon tried to comfort his younger son.

Somewhere else:

"...Alveen...you...you lied...to...me..." a weak voice croaked.

"I see that the poison's side effects are beginning to take effect. It's rather an unpleasant one, really...you, having been drained of a soul for a mere fraction of your lifetime, yet the effect of that is truly visible. And gaining it back all so suddenly; your body isn't ready to readapt to it..." Alveen explained to Idoun.

"...The other Divine Dragons won't allow this..."

"Hmph...what can they do? Most of them are old and weak. Your time as the Dark Dragon has replenished you of your powers...until we decided to try this experiment. None of them can save you. Not Salamandra, not Leviathan, not Hiryuu, not Thor, not Alexander, nor even the Great Bahamut can save you now. They are now mere living skeletons in hiding, to weak to even move. Ah...yes, there was a time when you were all at your prime...when we ruled; when we were at peace...but alas...now that that time is gone...we must strike back at the humans! And that is what your clone is for..."

A young black dragon walked in. She, for the first time, felt fear. She didn't spend much time with her mother, because she was always sick. She didn't understand the concept of her being a mere copy of her mother, merely to be used as an instrument of war. She walked in to see her mother. "...Father..? Mother...? Is mother going to be all right?" She asked, almost crying. Alveen walked out.

"...No...Idoun...mother's going to die soon," Idoun told her daughter.

"...Die?...What's...die?" the young Idoun asked her mother.

"It's when...never mind, you're too young to understand...Idoun, I hope you grow up well...When you do...leave your father...don't trust him...you're dragonkind's only hope if he decides to go along with his plans...cough, cough" Idoun laid motionless on her nest.

"MOTHER!" The young dragon rushed up to her mother, wanting to make sure that her mother is all right. "MOTHER!" She shook her mother, but received no response. Alveen walked in. "...Father...did...mother...just...die?" Alveen nodded grimly, but inside, he was happy to be rid of one of his biggest obstacles.

"Yes, dear, mother just died," Alveen nodded. The young Idoun stayed at her mother's bedside to mourn. Alveen left.

'Excellent...now...onto phase 2...' Alveen thought.

Back in the human world:

"Hmm...It's getting dark, milord; I think we should camp here for the night," Matthew suggested to Hector.

"We'll have to stop here for the night. We'll set out for Laus at the first sign of sunlight. Marcus, prepare the camp," Eliwood commanded, and Marcus told the rest of the group to set up camp.

"So this is Caelin? You think we ought to present ourselves to Lord Hausen?" Hector asked his friend.

"We're simply passing through, so I don't see the need. I am curious how Lyndis is getting along, though..." Eliwood trailed off.

"...Lyndis? Who's that?" Hector asked Eliwood.

"She's the granddaughter of Lord Hausen," Eliwood told Hector.

"Oh, her. The missing heir who dealt with Lundgren last year. Didn't you have something to do with that?" Hector asked his friend, who nodded his response, and took a drink from his water bottle. "And? The granddaughter? Is she a beauty?" His question made Eliwood choke, and got water up his nose.

"...cough...A beauty? She's... I don't... she's... I think it must be her Sacae heritage. She's... striking..." Eliwood stuttered.

"Striking? It's too bad, isn't it?" Hector said, grinning.

"Why?"

"That we don't have time to see her, loverboy."

"WHAT! NO! Lyndis and I...we're not..."

"Then what are you getting so worked up about?"

"Hector..."

"Heh heh. I'm kidding; you're just so fun to tease..."

The two lords walked back to check up on the others, when they heard a sound coming not far away from the trail.

"What was that? Did you hear that?" Hector asked his companion, surprised at the sound.

"...It was a scream..." Eliwood replied.

"Do we go help?"

"Of course!" Eliwood ran to tell the group to prepare for combat.

At the source of the noise...

An old man, the one that Marcus saw running out of the village earlier, was running with a giant sack on his bag, being chased down by a couple of bandits. "HELP MEE!" the old man cried.

"...sigh...bandits...Let us take care of it, milord, and we'll be with you shortly," Mark offered the lords.

"...Are you sure you don't need help, Mark?" Eliwood asked the shaman.

"No, I'll be just fine...heh heh..."

Mark walked up to an area close to the bandits, and took out the mine that Marcus gave him. "...I've seen these things before, just not so advanced and powerful...this sorceress must have been really powerful..." he said to himself as he dug and put the mine underground. He walked a fair distance away from it to be clear of its blasting range. He cleared his throat, and called to the bandits. "HEY, FUGLY'S!"

"...What was that?" one of the bandits asked. Another bandit spotted Mark. "Oh, it's just a kid. Leave him alone for now; we'll kill him later."

"But boss...he's mocking us!" another said, pointing at Mark, who is slapping his butt in their direction.

"Why...that kid...I'LL SHOW YOU TO MESS WITH US! WE'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER, OLD MAN! KILL THAT KID! CHARGE!" the leader ordered his group. Mark smirked.

However, the leader stepped on the spot the mine was on. Mark turned away to cover his eyes from the light of the explosion. The mine, as expected, exploded. The sound of the explosion was so loud; everyone at camp heard it and had to cover their ears. The shockwave was also of a similar magnitude, sending Mark flying backwards about a few feet. But the explosion was really large, it wiped out the whole bandit group, and some more, while leaving a big crater in the ground; its deepest point is in the center of where the mine was planted. The mushroom cloud it created lingered there for a long while.

Eliwood and Hector went to check up on Mark and the loud noise which was the explosion.

The old man looked up from a crouching fetal position, to see a large crater in front of him, and screamed in fear. However, he also noticed that the bandits that were chasing him are gone. He was elated to know that those bandits won't be harassing him anymore. He got up to thank his savior.

"Mark, what happened?" Eliwood asked the shaman.

"Marcus gave me a mine from a village he visited a while back, and I used it. It was truly an incredible weapon, milord, a bandit merely stepped on it, and this huge crater you see before you is the result of its explosion..." Mark explained. "And it really dirtied my robes..."

"Sir! Sir!" the old man called to the group.

"...Who's this?" Hector asked Mark.

"...He was the person the bandits were attacking, I believe," Mark said.

"That's right, sirs. I owe you my thanks," the old man started.

"Are you injured?" Mark asked him.

"No, sir; as you see, I'm fine as can be."

"Good; we'll take our leave then. Let's go, Mark, Eliwood," Hector called to his companions.

"...Wait! Wait a moment, please! As a token of my thanks..." the old man halted them.

"We have no need of a peddler's junk," Hector said bluntly.

"P-p-p-peddler!" the old man looked very offended.

"HECTOR!" Eliwood scolded his friend.

"Ahem! I am Merlinus. You'll find no other traveling merchant whose goods compare. Don't let your eyes fool you: I'm quite prosperous," the old man introduced himself.

"Huh? You're a merchant? Books and knives and all that, eh?" Hector asked Merlinus.

"Hector, your manners are terrible. Merlinus, please... Pay no mind to what this oaf has to say," Eliwood said, sighing.

"No, of course not. I wasn't concerned at... Ahem! By the way, you two obviously come from highborn houses. Would you grant me the honor of your names, as well as the man who helped me?" Merlinus asked the lords.

"I'm Mark; I work for Lord Eliwood," Mark introduced himself.

"I'm Eliwood of the House of Pherae."

"I'm Hector of the House of Ostia."

"Goodness! Ostia! Pherae! The greatest houses is all of Lycia! Ahh... To be saved by noblemen such as yourselves... It is an honor beyond words!" Merlinus bowed his thanks.

"It's nice to be appreciated for a change. Lately, people just seem to want us dead. Tell me, Merlinus, what are your plans?" Hector asked the merchant.

"Pardon? My plans, my lord? I had planned to travel Lycia selling my merchandise, but... It may not be possible in such dangerous times," Merlinus told Hector, and sighed with disappointment.

"If that's the case, why don't you come along with us? Our travels will not be ending anytime soon. We've gained more people and more items, right? It might be good to have help managing our things," Hector suggested.

"Oho! Now THAT is a splendid idea! Managing merchandise is my specialty, after all!" Merlinus replied.

"...Are you sure?" Eliwood asked the merchant with concern.

"Quite sure, my lord. To be honest, I've dreamt of working for a noble house. To have my fondest wish granted in such a way... I cannot stem these tears of joy! Lord Hector! Lord Eliwood! Take me into your bosoms and keep me safe forever!"

"Um...Alright then; well met, Merlinus," Eliwood and Hector shook the merchant's hand.

"We're counting on you! Now, I've got some things I want you to carry..." Hector trailed off, and led his companions back to camp.

The next day:

"I take it we'll be at Laus today, milord?" Kyo asked Hector.

"Yes, I suppose so," Hector replied.

Castle Laus:

"WHAT! Are you certain? Pherae's heir is here?" Darin panicked, holding his head in his hands.

"Yes, Father. We've just received word from our lookouts. He's still beyond that hill, but he'll be here before long," Erik, his son, replied.

"Lord Ephidel, what is the meaning of this?" Darin turned around to look at his associate.

"Perhaps when they reached Santaruz Castle, Lord Helman was still clinging to life..." was Ephidel's excuse. "He couldn't have lasted too long, but... maybe he told them something..."

"Then...then...our plan...Then our plan is now all for naught?" Darin asked the cloaked man.

"No need to be so alarmed, milord. Even if he told young Eliwood something of our schemes, Pherae no longer has any power. All Eliwood could do is perhaps inform Marquess Ostia," Ephidel replied calmly.

"Ostia! That would ruinous! Lord Uther may be young and new to the throne, but he's dangerous. That addlepated Helman! He was a coward to the end! To betray us now, when we're so close... We only need a little more time to complete our plans for rebellion!" Darin said, as he became even more panicked.

"Then before Marquess Ostia becomes aware of any of this, you would do well to stop them here," Ephidel suggested.

"Yes, you're right, of course. We do have a chance. They have to pass through Laus to get to Ostia. We can still silence them!" Darin said in triumph. "Call our finest troops; and have them assemble to take down that group from Pherae!"

"Father! Let me make the command!" Erik asked his father.

"Erik! Tell me, Son, can you succeed?" Darin asked his son, unsure.

"That clod Eliwood and I studied together in Ostia. He's a trusting fool. If he sees me, he'll lower his guard. And when he does, we strike!" Erik told his father.

"...Do as you wish, then," Darin gave his permission to Erik.

"...I beg your pardon. Is this not too much for him? If, by strange chance, he fell, things could turn for the worse..." Ephidel told Darin.

"No, I know I'm the lad's father, but Erik's quite clever, I tell you. Snuffing Pherae's whelp will be no trouble at all. It's settled! It's up to you now, Erik. Bring me the head of Pherae's darling son!" Darin ordered his son.

"Yes father! I will not fail you!" Erik replied, as he prepared for battle.

Outside, our group of heroes has just entered the territory of Laus:

"Look around... They truly are preparing for battle. Bah! Marquess Laus! What is he scheming?" Hector asked no one in particular. He looked at his friend Eliwood, who was silent the whole time and had a worried look on his face. "You don't much look like you want to go to the castle."

"...If we go and learn the truth, we may have to go to war," Eliwood replied.

"That's fine with me."

"I... I've no love for war. If I concentrate on the foe before me, I'm fine. If I picture families, innocents caught up in our foolish politics? If I imagine them... All I can do is pray for a way to solve things peacefully," Eliwood just sighed in sadness.

Marcus rode up to Eliwood. "Lord Eliwood! A knight has ridden forth from the castle," Marcus told him. "Matthew says it's Marquess Laus's son, Erik. He is asking to see you."

"Erik?" Eliwood asked the paladin.

"Gah...why did it have to be that buffoon," Hector spat at the ground in disgust.

"I will see him. Bring him here," Eliwood commanded.

"I'm leaving. I never could abide him. I'll go for a ride and survey our surroundings," and with that, Hector took off.

Erik the cavalier rode up to Eliwood, and greeted the young lord. "Hello! It's been a long time, Eliwood!"

"Erik...what is your business?" Eliwood asked the cavalier.

"My business? What do you mean? I heard my old friend was here in Laus. I merely thought I'd ride out to greet you!" Erik said, trying to sound offended, but failed to because he had a hint of malice in his voice. Eliwood said nothing. "So tell me, friend, what brings you to Laus? Are you... on your way to Ostia?"

"...Hm? Why would you think that?"

"Well, you were always such good friends with Hector. He and I never... got along very well. For a noble, his behavior was crude, and his manner of speech... You would have thought him a peasant on first glance. You're still friends with Hector, aren't you? When did you see him last? How do you communicate?" Erik bombarded Eliwood with questions.

"Erik...you're after something. What is it that you want?" Eliwood went straight to the point.

"Pardon?" Erik gave an innocent smile and tone, pretending not to know what Eliwood is trying to get at.

"Everywhere I look, Laus prepares for battle. What are you and your father planning? I will know the truth!" Eliwood said in a rather forceful tone.

"Hm... I'd hoped to wait until you'd told me of Ostia. Of whether you've spoken with the marquess or not..." Erik mumbled rather loudly.

"What are you talking about?" Eliwood asked the cavalier, looking confused.

"Hm heh heh... Eliwood, I have always despised you. How I've longed to smash you and your pathetic morality into pieces! I've dreamed of this day, and here it is at last!" Erik sneered.

"Too bad you won't live to see the end of it!" Hector said as he walked towards the group.

"Y-You! Hector! You couldn't... Have you spoken with Ostia already?" Erik asked Eliwood, sweat starting to run down his face in his worry.

"Maybe we have, maybe we haven't. Eliwood, this mongrel has troops lying in ambush all around us. Laus regulars, every one. We're in for a rough time," Hector told his friend, and gave Erik a death glare.

"Heh heh... There's little point in fighting. You're trapped! My forces will overwhelm you, an unending torrect of soldiers! Laus's elite knights are at the ready as well. Heh heh... How long do you think you can survive?" Erik laughed in triumph, and rode away.

"MONGREL!" Marcus started to chase Erik down, but Eliwood stopped him.

"Marcus! Hold!" Eliwood said. "I think he'll be the one commanding Laus's men. I think we can capture him and get some information out of him...so don't kill him...yet."

Meanwhile, an old woman walked into the group of heroes. "Hee hee hee... A world of trouble you've landed yourself in, yes?" she cackled.

"Who--? You startled me, old woman! You should get out of here. This is going to be a bad place to stay if you plan on living," Hector warned her.

"I want to see the one searching for his father. Marquess Pherae's son," she replied.

"Listen up, old woman! You're close to death as it is! Quit your yammering and move on!" Hector commanded.

"Hector! You should mind your manners. I am Eliwood. May I ask your name, milady?" Eliwood walked up to the old woman, and sighed at Hector's manners.

"Ho ho ho. What a polite young man. I'm Hannah, a fortune-teller. I came here to help you," the old woman replied.

"Can you tell me where my father's gone?" Eliwood asked her, and looked elated at the possibility that she might be able to find his father with her powers.

"No... but... I can see other things... useful things. I can tell you what weapons to take into battle, as well as who should wield them. Things of that nature," Hannah explained to the young lord.

"Don't tell me you believe any of this bullsh!t..." Hector said.

"I have no reason to believe or disbelieve in Hannah's powers. But I'll not rule out anything if it helps me find my father," Eliwood replied, and Hector shook his head.

"Heh heh heh. Speak to me for auguries before you engage the enemy. My service are not free, but they may save you from paying a greater price!" Hannah cackled.

"I knew there was a catch," Eliwood sweatdropped.

"Lord Eliwood! Lord Hector! I make my living as a humble merchant. If you have any items you no longer need, please let poor Merlinus take them," Merlinus offered the lords.

"Pfft! Yeah, poor," Hector commented.

"Alright Hannah, here's your pay," Eliwood took out a satchel of gold and gave the fortune teller her payment. She stored it in her satchel, and sat in a meditative trance. She then started speaking.

"Many of your foe will be carrying spears. You should take axes... Yes, many

axes. Hmm... And if that shrewish cleric girl is with you, take her as well. She might well meet an old friend. The weather, though... It doesn't look very good. Be prepared for sudden changes. You know, you should take a rapier. It will serve you well against many a foe," she said, then came out of her trance.

"Thank you Hannah," Eliwood thanked her, and left to prepare.

"Lord Eliwood! Shall I join you? If you deploy my tent, I can help with equipment. I can switch items for you and hold them if your packs are full. However, my tent cannot be moved about, so if you deploy it, it will require a guard. I beg your understanding," Merlinus told Eliwood.

"Of course, Merlinus. MARCUS!" Eliwood called for his paladin.

"Yes, milord?"

"Merlinus here needs a guard to protect his tent. You're the only man I trust enough to do something so important for our army, so will you do it?" Eliwood asked.

"Anything you ask for, milord," Marcus nodded.

"Thank you, Marcus..."

Meanwhile, at a nearby village:

"Hmmm...We certainly could use some assistance," a familiar purple haired mage begged the village leader.

"I'm sorry, but it's just not possible. If we disobey Marquess Laus, who knows what might happen to us?" replied the village leader.

"I understand. We'll seek our aid elsewhere," Erk said, waving a good-bye, and headed outside the village.

"You'll find the same answer everywhere you go. Eventually, you'll have have to do as the marquess orders. You would do well to tell your employer the same thing," the village leader told the mage.

"...I see. Good day to you..."

"Oh, by the way... The pirates from that citadel in the south keep raiding a nearby village. The marquess ignores our pleas for help. We'll all be overrun someday. Someone should go to that village and warn them..." the man told Erk.

'Oh no...Priscilla!' Erk dashed out of the village, but was greeted by Laus soldiers.

"Hold! Are you the escort of Lady Priscilla?" the soldier asked him.

"And if I am?"

"Then you must die!" the soldier charged at him with his lance. Erk just smirked.

Erk took out a thunder tome from his cloak and started chanting. "THUNDER!" he yelled, moving his hands furiously to create the pattern needed to cast the spell. He did it perfectly; the bolt of lightning smote the cavalier into ashes just before his lance struck Erk. 2 more cavaliers charged at him. "You don't learn, do you?" he asked, knowing he'd get no reply. He took out another tome; a fire tome this time, and chanted. He launched two giant fireballs, charring the 2 cavaliers. Erk sniffed in sadistic pleasure, and said, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." But then was disgusted at himself. It just wasn't the same when there was no one to give him stress. 'Lady Priscilla would hate to see this side of me,' he thought sadly.

In another village to the south:

"Priscilla? Has your escort returned yet?" a man from the village asked a young red haired troubadour.

"No. He left yesterday in search of a way out of here... I just hope the soldiers of Laus haven't captured him," Priscilla replied sadly.

"His search for help must have been fruitless. Maruqess Laus has ordered that no aid be given to you. There's really nothing that any of us can do. I apologize, but..." the man said sadly.

"No, no. You could turn me over to the marquess, and yet you continue to grant me asylum. I'm grateful for that, Of course, if I simply went to the castle, this would be all over," Priscilla bowed her thanks.

"Don't fret over that. None of us are overly fond of the marquess. He's always threatening us. He treats us like slaves. All of those war preparations? We want nothing to do with them. We may be divided into territories, but we're Lycians one and all. We may be invaded by another country one day, but why does he want to start a war here at home? None of us understand what he is doing," the man said in disgust.

Back with our heroes:

"A shrewd cleric girl? That'd be Serra, for sure," Hector replied to what Eliwood heard from Hannah.

"No doubt about it, milord..." Fiaa replied.

"Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector! The soldiers are coming!" Matthew warned the group.

"Let's go, then!" Hector raised his Wolf Beil up high. "LET'S DO IT!"

"Come on, Guy, let's go," Matthew grabbed the myrmidon and dragged him.

"sighs...fine..." Guy replied, not very keen at the idea.

"Wait!...um...is it alright if I come with you?" Rebecca walked up to the 2.

"Sure! We need someone to cover our backs, so come along!" Matthew cheerily replied to the girl. Guy just stood there, staring at her. "Guy? Come on, it's rude to stare at girls."

Guy snapped back to reality, and blushed at his comment. "Wh..wh...what? I wasn't staring!" Matthew just shook his head, and gave the myrmidon a mischievous grin. "REALLY! I WASN'T!" Rebecca blushed at noticing that Guy WAS staring at her.

"Hmm...Serra and Lowen, there's a village up northwest of here. I think you should warn them that this area will be a war zone, so I want you to go there," Mark instructed.

"There's also another village to the southwest, near the beach, as well," Hilda commented. "Serra and Lowen, warn them too, all right? And go to the northwest village first, because it's closer. After you do that, come back to the main force, and Matthew, Guy, and Rebecca will go with you."

"All right then, everyone else, we're going to be fighting the main force. We'll try to keep the battle away from the others I've mentioned," Mark instructed. "I believe we're all ready, so let's head out!"

Serra and Lowen quickly traveled to the village in the north east.

"WHY! Won't! You! Leave! Me! Alone!" they heard an angry voice yell. They also could hear the voice yell 'thunder' or 'fire' between shouts. As they neared the area, they saw a young red caped mage with purple hair blasting Laus soldiers that were coming at him into smithereens. The mage panted as he cleared the last of them, and turned around to fix his hair, but grimaced at the cavalier and the cleric coming his way. Well, just the cleric. 'Crap,' he thought.

"HEY! It's ERKY!" Serra jumped off Lowen's horse, and fell on top of Erk and hugged him.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Erk pushed the rabid cleric off of him, and dusted himself off.

"That's mean! I was just trying to nicely greet an old friend!"

"I recall that the crushing of the bones of an 'old friend' wasn't part of any greeting I know..."

"Well, what are you doing here, Erky?"

"I have another job to escort another person now," Erk told Serra. "She's in the village to the south of here. What are you doing here?"

Serra's eyebrow twitched when Erk mentioned that his new escort is a she, but said nothing about it. "Um...I'm serving in the army of my boss Lord Hector of Ostia and this guy's boss, Lord Eliwood of Pherae. We're here to fight off the Laus soldiers so we can ask the marquess something," Serra explained.

"...I see. I'll join you in this battle, because my client wishes to leave Laus. The marquess wouldn't allow us to do that for some reason," Erk told her. "Can you get us to the village south of here? My escort is there; I need to pick her up," he asked Lowen.

"Of course. Get on, but first we must tell our leaders first and call for backup if we need it."

They rode towards the main force, which just killed off the first wave of Laus soldiers. Lowen, Serra, and Erk went to the southern forest, along with Guy, Matthew, and Rebecca jogging behind the cavalier and his 2 passengers. "Slow...down...please..." Rebecca panted. Guy noticed her looking tired, so he stepped in front of her.

"Ride on my back. We'll get there faster," Guy offered the archer.

"Um...thank you," Rebecca nodded, and sat on his back. Guy then dashed off to catch up with Matt and the others. 'He's strong and fast...' she thought.

Meanwhile, on a small island fort near the beach:

"Eh? What's all this? Looks like a war's broken out. Aha ha ha! Perfect! Time for a raid! Up and at 'em, mates! That village is ripe for plunder!" a pirate laughed heartily, and called for his comrades to attack. They jumped out of the fort and into the water, and swam towards the southern village.

Back at the village:

"Listen to this! Have you heard tell of the marquess's infatuation? There's a young woman staying in a village on the harbor. Her speech, her looks, everything about her has the seeming of a princess. The marquess's attentions border on obsession. He's sent countless envoys to invite her to the castle, but she rejects him at every turn. Now, the marquess has guards around the village keeping her trapped. She has no way to escape. It's so sad," a woman whispered to another woman in the village, but Priscilla heard it.

She sighed. 'He's so lecherous...unlike Erk.." she thought.

"EEEK! PIRATES! THE PIRATES ARE COMING!" a village woman yelled, and ran past Priscilla.

"Pirates?" Priscilla asked the man she talked to earlier.

"Oh..yes...this is bad...they think now that since the soldiers of Laus are fighting a battle, we are fair game here..."

"Hmm...I will try to negotiate with them..." Priscilla rode up to the front gate.

"WHAT! Lady Priscilla, you cannot be serious! They slaughter you, even though you are a woman! Or worse, they might..." he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. It's the least I can do for you for letting me stay here," replied the flame-haired troubadour as she rode through the front gate.

Back to Erk and Serra:

"Pirates! ...WHAT? That's my client! What's she doing?" Erk panicked as he saw the troubadour just stand in front of the village gate to meet the pirates. "FASTER MAN! HIYAH!" He kicked the rump of Lowen's horse, making it go faster.

"WHOA!" even Lowen had a hard time adjusting to the unexpected burst of speed from his mount. Erk must have given it a really hard kick.

"Well, well, well...what do we have here?" a pirate said, as he and 7 of his friends surrounded Priscilla.

"Please, sirs, please leave this village alone. They don't want anything to do with you," Priscilla pleaded.

"No can do, sweetheart," another one replied, "But if you're willing, we'll take you instead of one of the village girls. I think it's a much better deal anyways, heh heh heh..." he laughed evilly.

Priscilla is starting to become scared as the pirates started to near her.

"Please, stay back!" she yelled in fear, but one of the pirates grabbed her arm, and pulled her off her horse. "Ah!" she yelped in pain from the fall.

"We've got a real beauty here..." he said. "Let's take her back to the fort; we're gonna have LOTS of fun tonight with this one! GWAHAHAH!"

"Please...let go of me!" Priscilla pulled with all her might, but to no avail.

"STOP IT!" a familiar voice yelled, and a familiar fireball blasted the pirate off of Priscilla and into another.

"What the...son of a b1tch!" the pirate yelled in fury.

"THUNDER!" "ARROW SHOWER!" Erk summoned a large lightning bolt on the hapless pirate, killing him, and Rebecca shot half a quiver of arrows at the enemy at a very high angle, making them rain down on the pirates...while she was still on Guy's back. The pirates were hurt rather badly from the downpour of arrows, but as they were recovering, Matthew, Lowen, and Guy made short work of them with their swords.

"Oh...Erk, thank you!" Priscilla hugged Erk.

"There's no need to do so. It's my job," he replied, hugging her back. Serra huffed.

"And who are these people?" Priscilla asked Erk.

"Excuse me, miss. We are vassals of the house of Ostia and Pherae; of a combined small division of an army, you could say, and we are fighting off Marquess Laus, right now," Matthew spoke for the group.

"If it's not too much trouble, might I leave with you? I'm on a journey. Marquess Laus is barring my way, and... I'm trapped. I am trained in the use of staves. Please, help me," Priscilla pleaded.

"If she's going, then I'm going with her too. Please Matthew, so we can work together again, just like old times, huh?" Erk smiled.

"But of course. However, you'll need to ask Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector regarding your stay, though," replied the cheery thief.

"Great!"

"Now, just like old times..." Matthew walked up behind the mage, put his arm around the mage's neck and gave him a nuggie.

"Oh...right...I usually don't pay attention to the abuse you give me since Serra's usually has much more impact..." Erk commented.

"That's mean, Erk!" Serra huffed.

"Are you the ones that killed the pirates?" a man walked out of the village. Matthew nodded. "We give you our greatest thanks... You're battling Erik and his men, right? Let me tell you, I'm on your side! My granddaughter... Marquess Laus took her away. He found her pretty, and forced her to the castle. It's not much, but please take this. It's a large sword, so you have to be strong to use it. It's a bit unwieldy, but it is a might weapon nonetheless. I hope you can defeat the marquess's son, Erik. It would make our lives more pleasant. Good luck to you," the man offered the thief an Iron Blade. Matthew fell down, not knowing that the weapon was so heavy. The man chuckled.

"So...heavy...Guy, give me a hand, will you?" Matthew asked the myrmidon.

"Hmm...If I do this, will you mark off a favor that I owe you?" Guy smiled. However, seeing where this is going, Matthew smiled wider.

"Hmm...of course. But seeing as I can't use this sword anyways, I'll just give it to you! So since we're even on this little deal, you still owe me all your favors!" Matthew cheerily gave the sword to Guy, who just held it in his hands. Matthew ran away to rejoin the main group.

"Wha...whuh...HEY! MATTHEW! GET YOUR SKINNY THIEF ASS BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Guy ran after the thief, and Rebecca followed close, giggling.

'He's really cute and funny like this,' the archer thought, smiling.

"Is it true we're battling Castle Ostia? What could that fool of a marquess be thinking? Laus has no chance of defeating Lycia's most powerful territory! The marquess's son, Erik is nothing but a power-hungry dullard! And the marquess himself is a lecher, plain and simple! What a pair! Do they believe they're a match for an Ostian general?" another man ranted to the man who gave Matthew the Iron Blade, but soon noticed that Lowen, Erk, and the healers were still there. "Oh... Forget everything I said. We never talked, OK?" Lowen, Erk, and the healers sweatdropped as he ran back inside the village, embarrassed.

Castle Laus:

"Blast! They're stronger that I had supposed! To the castle! I want all the reinforcements available, and I want them now!" Erik barked.

"Lord Erik is struggling! He requests reinforcements!" a high ranking troop commander ordered.

"What? Ready the men," Darin ordered.

"Amazing...such numbers still cannot stop them," Ephidel remarked calmly.

"Ephidel? W-Where are you going?" Darin asked, as he saw the cloaked man leave.

"It seems that conquering Lycia might have been too much to ask of you after all. I must inform my master. The Black Fang will be leaving at once," Ephidel replied, walking away.

"No! You... You can't abandon us! Not at this stage!" Darin pleaded.

"Who was it that said Ostia mustn't learn of our plans? Wasn't it you, Lord Darin? The Marquess of Laus himself?" Ephidel asked the general.

"Y-Yes, it was. There's no turning back for me. Not now! P-P-Please! One more... Give me one more chance. I assure you, I will not disappoint Lord Nergal!" Darin begged on his knees.

"Very well... Assemble your men. We will regroup elsewhere," Ephidel instructed.

"Eh? You can't mean... My son... my home... Am I to abandon them?" Darin looked up, surprised.

"Would you fall in disgrace along with your son? Our master, Lord Nergal, is offering you the throne of all Lycia... Surely a few sacrifices are not too much to ask?" Ephidel calmly asked Darin.

"Yes... You're right. My destiny is greater than this. I was born to be king of Lycia," Darin reassured himself.

"And as for an heir? You're still young, my lord. You will have time. You must not let a moment's sentimentality cloud your judgment," Ephidel reassured the general. "Now, we must make haste."

Back outside:

"Where are my reinforcements? Why haven't they come? I've no choice. I must attack! You! To the castle! Find more men!" Erik barked.

"There's no one left inside the castle, milord!" the soldier replied.

"WHAT! Impossible...the marquess would abandon me, his own son!...It must be that scheming son of a b1tch, Ephidel!" Erik said angrily. He looked back towards the battlefield to see Hector, Eliwood, and Hilda advanced towards him. 'Damn, already?' he thought.

"Why, hello there, Erik, pleasant day, isn't it?" Hector smirked, seeing Erik's fear filled face.

"You've always been... an eyesore to me. No matter how hard I tried...You two garnered all the attention... all the praise. In the classroom...on the training grounds... Everywhere and everything!" Erik replied angrily.

"Erik. You always did care more about appearances than ability. If you'd had even a hint of skill, perhaps you'd..." Hector was interrupted.

"Hold your tongue! I will hear no more! No more!" Erik yelled madly.

Hector readied his axe. Eliwood saw this, and knowing the way his friend fights, he stepped in front of Hector. "Eliwood! What gives?" Hector asked, puzzled.

Eliwood whispered to Hector. "Remember...we need him alive...I'll take him on; I want to teach him a lesson in manners, as well." Hector nodded, and grinned. Eliwood readied his rapier and took a fighting stance. "How about we duel, Erik? You and me, one on one," he challenged the cavalier.

"SOUNDS GOOD TO ME! DIE!" Erik yelled as he charged with his Steel Sword out, ready to strike down Eliwood.

Eliwood rolled forward, under the swipe, and sliced his rapier at the rump of Erik's horse, making it whinny in pain, and stand up on its hind legs. "DOWN! DOWN, I SAY!" Erik commanded his horse, not being able to maintain control.

"You lose," Eliwood said, pointing his rapier at Erik's throat as the cavalier regained his balance. "Now, get off your horse. We have some questions we want to ask you."

"Urgh...damn you..." Erik said, getting off his horse, as Eliwood commanded, in fear of having a rapier shoved through his throat. "You... You peasants... You can't treat a proper noble like this!"

"It's too late for niceties! Be thankful you're still breathing!" Hector pushed the cavalier down.

"Erik, you must tell me. Where is your father? We've searched the entire castle, and there's no one here," Eliwood asked the cavalier.

"What? So...that soldier was right...that bastard Ephidel..."

"Ephidel? Who's that?" Eliwood probed, but Erik stayed silent.

"Speak, cur! Do you want to die here?" Hector barked angrily, readying his Wolf Beil. Erik backed up and whimpered in fear.

"Hector! Erik... please. You must tell us everything you know. I...I just want to know where my father is," Eliwood pleaded.

"...Ephidel... He appeared at the castle one year ago. He came...and my father changed. Ostia's position had always bothered my father...He felt Laus deserved to rule all of Lycia. But he'd never gone so far as to speak of rebellion," Erik replied.

"Did you say... rebellion?" Hector raised his eyebrows at the mention of the word.

"Ephidel had something... With it, he convinced my father to set this plan in motion. My father then sent envoys to several other marquesses. Marquess Pherae, he had approved of the idea..." Erik continued.

"WHAT?" Hector grabbed Erik by his collar.

"Never! My father would never agree to such a thing!" Eliwood replied, as he stepped back and shook his head in disbelief.

"Believe or disbelieve. That is your choice. First was Marquess Santaruz. Then Marquess Pherae's reply arrived. Marquess Pherae visited here six months ago to seal his approval," Erik told Eliwood, smirking.

"No...that's...not possible..."

"My father and yours argues vehemently that day. Marquess Pherae always distrusted Ephidel. He tried to convince my fahter to sent Ephidel and the Black Fang assassins out of Lycia. My father would not be persuaded, and Marquess Pherae left the castle. As you know, he then disappeared. I doubt he's still alive," Erik continued.

"NO!" Eliwood shook his head.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Hector ordered, tightening his grip on the cavalier's collar.

"Eliwood said he wanted to hear everything. My father... He is but Ephidel's puppet. He'll listen to anything that villain says. Even watch his own son... die... Those are the sort of people you're dealing with. Marquess Pherae betrayed them. They would not let him live! Ha ha... ha ha ha ha ha ha..." Erik just laughed at Eliwood's state.

"No..." Eliwood was shaken, as he walked back to rejoin his group.

"...Eliwood..." Hector looked back at his friend, feeling pity.

"...Can I go now?" Erik asked the lord.

"Oh. Right. One more thing," Hector said, smiling, as he readied his fist, and punched Erik in the face, knocking him out. "Bastard."

"My father is alive... And...I cannot believe he supports...rebellion. There must be...there has to be a reason..." Eiwood stuttered on the way back.

"I know. I don't believe any of this for an instant. My brother trusted Marquess Pherae more than anyone. First, we'll find your father and discover the truth. We'll talk to my brother after that," Hector pattered his friend on the back.

"Hector, I'm sorry..."

"Don't look like that. Your father is surely alive, right?"

"Yes, of course... Marquess Laus... Black Fang assassins... Now this mysterious Ephidel... I'll find them all and prove my father's innocence!" Eliwood said, determined.

That night at camp:

"The Black Fang, you say, milord?" Lucifer asked Hector, who nodded in agreement. "Hmm...Well, I...have had some connections with that group, milord. I think I have some information that could be of use. Like...who's who in the ranks of the fang..."

"Really?" Hector asked him.

"Well...yes. I...used to be in that group. Until that...that b!tch... Sonia... she... and...Nergal..." Lucifer clenched his fists, and a tear slid down his eye.

"Hey, don't go blubbering out on me, all right? You're the toughest man we have here; it's going to boost down the morale of the others if you look like this. You don't have to tell me now, if it bothers you so much," Hector patted the mercenary on his shoulder.

"...Thank you, milord," Lucifer replied.

"Don't mention it. Now, let's go get us some dinner before it gets cold..."

"sigh...Nothing like the peace and quiet of sleeping under the stars..." Guy sighed in relief; he needed a rest after having to carry Rebecca all the way from one village to another in a few minutes. He looked up at the night sky, and marveled at the beauty of the stars. He always enjoyed doing this; it always managed to relax his mind. "Man...my life sucks. I never thought I'd see Matthew again, so I won't have to repay him...but fate just has to drink Ilian rum on me...sigh...and there's that cute girl, too...she's young, and a bit fragile, but very pretty...beautiful face...nice curves, too...and I don't even have a chance of getting her to like me..."he said to no one in particular. Unfortunately, his thief friend just happened to be passing by.

"So, who's this girl with a beautiful face and nice curves?" Matt asked the myrmidon, and sat down beside Guy, surprising the myrmidon.

"GWHA? Matthew! Sheesh! Can't anyone have a monologue with privacy?"

"Not when I'm around. So who is she?" Matthew probed.

"...I don't want to say."

"Sigh I didn't want to do this the hard way, but I'm going to use up one of the favors you owe me on this one," Matthew shook his head, and grinned evilly.

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Guy looked at his friend in fear.

"Oh, I would, and you know it," said the thief as his grin got wider. "So, Guy, I'd like to use up one of the favors now."

"Sigh...Fine. But, please tell her or anyone else. Especially her and Serra..." Guy pleaded.

Matthew winced at the mention of the cleric's name. "Yeouch. Of course not, I wouldn't stoop so low as to using this for blackmail."

Guy whispered her name into the thief's ear. "...Rebecca..."

"Hmm...a bit young, don't you think? She's like, 3 years younger than you," Matthew pointed out.

"When has that stopped anyone from having a relationship?" Guy asked smugly.

"Point. She's like the Goddess Star (I'm talking about Venus; technically, they're on earth, just an alternate one) to you, isn't she? The only star that would stand out amongst a sea of other, and some, even brighter stars..." Matthew trailed off. Rebecca walked by to take a walk. "Rebecca...is that the reason you like her? Her beauty?"

"Hmm?" she noticed Guy and Matthew looking up at the stars, talking, and heard her name being mentioned.

"...I'm not that shallow. It does strike me, but she's very kind and caring, too. She does her best even though she's not a healer. I...had a relationship with someone like that. She...died; bandits killed her when they attacked my village..." Guy told the thief. "She's a lot like my ex...they're very similar, even in looks. I...I know I shouldn't dwell on the past...but..."

"...I see. I hope you get your problem sorted out. Good luck, Guy," Matthew said, as he got up and headed back to camp. "REBECCA?"

"GWA?" Guy stood up at the mention of her name. He saw Rebecca walking towards them.

"...Hi, guys! What's up?" she asked cheerily. "I heard you mention my name; is there anything I can do for you?"

"Hmm..."Matthew grinned evilly, and looked at Guy. Guy gave him the 'I-don't-like-what-I-think-you're-thinking' look. Matthew returned him with his 'See-if-I-care' look. Guy, very scared now, gave him the 'You-wouldn't-dare' look. Matthew replied with his 'Oh-really?' look, and Guy slapped his head. Rebecca was puzzled at the strange intercourse.

"Well, you see, my friend Guy here...has a little problem..."Matthew said to Rebecca. In the background, Guy was doing a really weird dance and making faces everywhere to weird her out. Matthew noticed this, and walked around Rebecca so that she wouldn't see the crazy myrmidon. "He has a small problem with...talking to girls...always stuttering and that stuff...all the time. Especially pretty girls. So...I think it would be best if you help him with his greatest fear, seeing that you seem good at this psychology stuff."

Rebecca blushed. "Um...I had a rather...disturbed older brother and neighbor, so I had to...um...take care of them and keep them from killing themselves over a crazy daredevil stunt they'd pull...but, why am I talking about myself, I'm here to help Guy, right? Um..." She blushed; she didn't want to confront the myrmidon now. 'And it was just a silly school-girl crush, right? RIGHT?' she thought to herself. 'I am so in denial...'

Matthew broke the silence. "I'll just leave you two alone," he said, and walked off. 'Oh, this is going to be so much fun...' he thought, and grinned a very wide and evil grin.

"Um...so...you have a problem talking to girls?" Rebecca sat down beside Guy, who stopped attempting to look weird anymore, too tired to do anything. Guy just nodded in response, and turned red in the face.

"...Do...you...um...do you..." Rebecca stuttered.

"...Yes?" Guy asked her.

"Um...it's...it's...nothing...I...uh... I just remembered I have to do something..." Rebecca said, and walked off.

"...My life sucks..." Guy said to himself again.

Meanwhile, at the campfire, everyone else was going into their tents to sleep. However, 3 people were still up. Erk was on guard duty, and Priscilla was still out because she wanted to read a book. Serra was just sitting and looking at the campfire. But in truth, the pink-haired cleric was there to spy on Priscilla and Erk.

'She's here to take my Erky away from me, that evil Succubus. EVIL! MY ERKY IS MINE! MY PRECIOUS! Yes...' Serra thought to herself.

'Why won't she leave...I can't talk to Erk with her around...she seems to want to grab him and just take him for herself...' Priscilla thought to herself.

'2 pretty girls, both want me. Oooohhh, yeah...' Erk thought to himself. How did he know, you ask? As he was sitting, looking at the campfire, he saw the girls steal glances at him, but he pretended not to notice. If he was to choose between the 2, he'd obviously choose Priscilla. But his...darker side, shall we say, wanted to see what would happen. He thought he might enjoy this for a little bit longer.

'heh heh heh...' thought the mage.

End Eliwood's and Hector's tales Chapters 3 Gaiden and 4

Please R&R! Your reviews and advice are much appreciated!


	20. HectorEliwood 5: Talons Alight

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever

Serra, Erk, Priscilla. Chaos and a cat fight, Priscilla and Erk's supports gone wrong, especially if you add Serra into the mix...

On a side note, fate really loves drugs, at least in my fic.

To Dairokkan: Hmm...thanks for the thing on Erk, but I'm thinking of putting something weirder later on for another character...

To Black Lord 500: Thank you very much, really, but I'm new at this writing business myself.

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH **

**Eliwood's and Hector's tales chapter 5: Talons Alight**

"Milord! A group of people have surrounded the castle!" Marcus warned Eliwood.

"At this time of night?" Eliwood asked.

"Their movements are quick and coordinated, as well," the paladin commented.

"...I heard of a mercenary group...the leader is known for his lightning swift strikes...and the group leader is Eubans," Lucifer muttered, and got his sword ready. "Let's go."

"I don't believe this; so late in the night!" Guy complained. He wanted to sleep; the day really tired him out.

"Yeah...but...orders are orders," Matt said, making Guy sigh.

At the castle gates:

"You should be careful; I heard that some of Ostia's soldiers are in our enemy group," a green and white haired wyvern rider warned his comrade, a nomad.

"So? What's there to worry about?" his comrade laughed.

"Well...it's Ostia. Anyways, I've opened the back entrance in case you need to retreat," the wyvern rider said, and flew away.

"Heath...so kind to people you don't even know. You weren't cut out to be a mercenary..." the nomad said.

Back with our group:

"Obviously their forces are limited, but we also need to be on guard for reinforcements," Mark said. "Their main attack force seems to be coming from the south. I think that's where their leader is. However, I think all we need to do now is hold out until they leave. However...we need someone to protect our goods here, in the throne room."

"I've been assigned by Lord Eliwood to do that, Mark," Marcus piped up.

"Great. Then, I suppose some will be trying to break into the throne room from the north east and northwest. Bartre and Dorcas, I want you to take care of the ones coming from the northwest. Erk and Marcus, I want to let the ones from the north east come in from those double doors, and you ambush them when they come in. Serra and Priscilla, stay in the throne room so you'll be able to heal Bartre, Dorcas, Erk, and Marcus when needed. Merlinus and Hannah, stay in the tent and don't come out until we tell you to," Mark instructed. "Matthew, Guy, Rebecca, I want you to cover the west side. Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood, Oswin, Eiji, Hilda, and I will cover the south. Kyo, Fiaa, and Lucifer, you'll cover the east side. I think that's all, so let's do this!"

True to Mark's predictions, the bandits started rushing in full force. Dorcas's and Bartre's opposition were a just a few brigands. However, although they're just brigands, they are actually quite powerful. Dorcas threw his hand axe hard at a brigand, and hit his target in his chest. Bartre swung his steel axe around in a whirlwind and spun in to the group of enemy axemen, cutting them down. However, the enemy surrounded him soon, knowing that he will be dizzy when he finishes his attack. Dorcas then rushed in and hacked with his iron axes in a fury, worried that his comrade will be killed. However, Bartre didn't stop spinning. Instead, he increased the speed of his spin, and cut deeper into the crowd of brigands. Dorcas just sighed. 'He better not throw up anywhere near me when this is over...' the fighter thought.

"Hmmm..." Matthew thought, seeing two treasure chests in the west side of the battlefield. "Be right back, you two..."

"Wha...Matthew! WAIT!" Guy pleaded, not wanting to be left alone with Rebecca. Not many enemies came down to their location, but even then, their numbers weren't small. A few archers and brigands nearly killed the group, and Rebecca would have died numerous times had Guy not jumped in front of her to parry the blows she would have taken. 'My arm...' Guy put his Killing Edge in its sheathe and held onto his bleeding left arm. 'Damn...I should have brought a vulnerary...' he thought. 'Blasted axeman...'

"Guy! Your arm! Are you all right? Here, drink this," Rebecca took a vulnerary out of her satchel and forced the myrmidon to gulp down its contents. The wound on his arm healed, but the blood on his clothes was still visible. Rebecca felt it to see if the wound is still there, as it's not possible to see with all the blood. She sighed with relief to find that there was no trace of a cut there.

"...Thank you, but don't you need that?" Guy asked with concern on his face.

"No, I'll be fine. Besides I haven't been hurt yet have I?" Rebecca smiled.

"No, not yet. You should save it for yourself, in case you do get hurt," Guy advised.

"I'll be fine, Guy; you've been there to protect me all this time! You won't let me down now, right?"

"...No. I'll protect you from our enemies..."silence followed for some time.

"...This is awkward..." Rebecca pointed out. Guy still stayed silent, but she could see a slight reddening on his cheeks.

Meanwhile, Matthew finally managed to sneak inside the small room he saw the treasure chests were in. "Bingo," he said to himself. He opened the chest closest to him to find a Silver Axe. 'I'll give this to Lord Hector later...I can't carry this. I don't think Guy could, either,' he thought. He then opened the other chest. 'A Mend staff! This could be useful. I'll give it to the healers later.' He stepped out of the room to rejoin his group.

In the south, the group is having no problems at all. Hector can easily destroy any enemies that come towards the group with a mighty swing of his axe. Eliwood aims his rapier with precision towards the vital points of his opponents' bodies, and killed them in one blow each. Eiji easily impaled anyone stupid enough to enter the striking range of his lance, and Mark Fluxed any enemy that came into his range as well. The enemies were mostly brigands and mercenaries, but there were a few myrmidons here and there. But the strongest is yet to come.

"GAH!" Eiji was struck hard by a javelin in the gut, making him fly backwards. "Damn! Who..." A knight walked out of the enemy ranks and prepared to throw another javelin at him. Eiji saw this coming, and took his lance up to repel the blow. The knight was powerful; Eiji could tell when he tried to parry a blow from his opponent's lance. He was sent sprawling backwards, but regained his ground quickly. He thrust his Steel Lance at his opponent hard, who blocked it with his shield. However, it was stuck in the shield, and Eiji pulled back with all his might, making his opponent fall forwards. Eiji took this chance to draw out another lance from his back, and thrust it into his opponent's skull.

When the enemy knight fell, Eiji noticed something on his opponent's elbow. "A Knight Crest...Let's see if I can use it. KNIGHT CREST!" A bolt of lightning struck Eiji, and he disappeared. He reappeared again in another bolt of lightning, this time with much larger and a more menacing looking armor. His Blue armor became a navy blue color, and its sides were lined with gold. His shoulder plates had spikes coming out of them, to instill fear into the heart of his enemies. His helmet has horns on its sides; much like a devil's head. His weapons, noticeably, are also chained to his waist. "Excellent..." he said, and rejoined the fray in his new form.

"Enemy mages! Watch out!" Mark warned the lords as fireballs rained down on them. Thinking quickly, he summoned a flux ball in front of the fireballs to block the attack, and exploded it to blind his enemies. "Come back here, milord! I'll take care of this!" Hector and Eliwood complied. Hilda followed Mark to the caster of the fireballs.

"A barrage of fireballs...my flux spell couldn't hold it until it was fully charged. They really have powerful people in their ranks..." Mark commented.

"That's true...and I think that's him," Hilda pointed to a man wearing a long red cloak, and its sides were lined with silver. His robes were obviously those of a skilled magic-user's. He started chanting, and launched another volley of fireballs.

"OH CRAP! Hide behind me, Hilda! FLUX!" Mark yelled, charging the spell to its maximum strength, and launching it at the last second to block the fireballs.

"You won't stand a chance against me, shaman, if all you do is defend," the sage said. "Now die! THUNDER!" He sent a giant lightning bolt down on Mark this time. Mark wasn't quick enough to avoid it, and was electrocuted.

"Hilda...run..." Mark croaked, his robes charred from the blow.

"NO! Mend!" Hilda waved her staff over Mark, and recovered him.

"Your natural resistance to anima magic has saved you, shaman. But I can't say the same for you friend," the sage said, and charged up his thunder spell to its maximum strength, and released it at Hilda.

"MOVE IT, HILDA!" Mark got up and pushed Hilda out of the lightning bolt, which barely hit the 2.

"Lucky break..." the sage said.

"And here's another one!" Hector yelled, throwing his hand axe at the sage. The sage blasted it out of the air with a fireball, and looked at Hector pityingly, as he charged up a thunder spell. Hector just smirked. "Oh, you might want to focus your attention on something else..."

"NOSFERATU!" Mark released a fully charged Nosferatu spell at the sage. It engulfed him completely, and screams of pain and agony can be heard from inside the cloud. After the cloud left, they could see the sage kneeling down in pain.

"Bastards..." he said, and struggled to get back up again, but only to receive a Wolf Beil in the face.

"They're sure taking their sweet time..." Erk commented, waiting to ambush the attackers. "Well, I can't complain about not actually having to fight..." He then sees Priscilla riding by to check up on them. "Lady Priscilla? Why are you here? Shouldn't you stay in the throne room?"

"Oh...I just came here to check up on you, that's all..." the troubadour replied.

"Lady Priscilla, are you all right?" Erk asked.

"Ah, Erk, I am fine, thank you for asking..."Priscilla replied, but Erk asked more questions.

"Not at all. This is my duty...You're...you're not tired?" Erk asked her.

"No...I'm quite fine, really," Priscilla replied.

"Your feet, are they not weary? Your shoulders, are they not tense?" Erk continued to ask her.

"Um...they're fine, really..." Priscilla is starting to get wierded out now.

"And your belly, is it full? And your throat...dry? Are you sleepy? Or bored?" Erk pressed on.

"Um...Erk?"

"Oh...er...yes, sorry. Hard to break old habits..."

"Eh?"

"My last lord was a very willful child, you see. She would call me over the slightest things..." Erk explained. He didn't notice it, but Priscilla's eyebrow twitched at hearing that his last employer is she. "That is past now, of course."

"I see...should I be asking you to do more, then?" Priscilla asked him, curious to see what the mage's reaction would be.

"Oh, no, no, this is just fine!" Erk replied, smiling. He then heard a small bang on the door. He readied his tomes. "Lady Priscilla, please go back to the throne room and call Marcus here. They're coming..." He started charging a thunder spell.

"Oh... of course. Be careful Erk," and with that, the troubadour went to get the paladin to help Erk.

The door burst open with mercenaries and brigands. These unlucky few were electrocuted by a fully charged thunder spell. A few more mercenaries rushed in along with more brigands. Marcus cut them down with his iron sword easily, while defending himself and blocking the path to Erk with his shield. Erk continued blasting the enemies with his 2 tomes like a madman. He was getting tired; however, as fully charged spells can take a lot of stamina to cast. Marcus noticed that Erk was starting to droop. "Wake up, Erk! You must keep your guard up!" Marcus ordered the mage, as he struck down another brigand. Soon, only the archers were left. "DAMN!" Marcus yelled; he couldn't get close enough without getting bombarded with arrows.

"My turn!" Erk yelled. "Marcus, cover me!" The paladin blocked arrows that went into Erk's path as he charged up his thunder spell to its overdrive, hoping that he'll be able to take out all the enemy archers in one blow. "THUNDERSTORM!" he yelled, and many lightning bolts rained down on the archers, destroying everything in their paths. Marcus was awestruck at the might of the spell. "Phew...guess that's all of them..." Erk panted, but now out of energy, he fainted.

"Erk!" Marcus went to the fainted Erk. "Oh...the fatigue has taken a toll on him. I better bring him to the healers..." However, a lone archer had managed to survive the blast, and shot an arrow at Erk's unconscious body. It struck him in his right chest. Erk just jerked, but was still unconscious. "Damn it!" Marcus yelled, and threw a Javelin at the archer. It got the archer in his skull, and the archer died. "He really needs a healer now," the paladin said, and pulled the arrow out of the mage. He put the limp body of Erk on his horse, and dashed towards the throne room.

Meanwhile, in the eastern area, Kyo, Fiaa, and Lucifer are having no trouble at all fighting off their enemies. "You two stay here for now. I'll head for the leader," Lucifer pointed towards the nomad that was barking orders to his men. Kyo nodded, and Lucifer dashed towards the nomad, cutting down anyone stupid enough to stand in his path. Kyo and Fiaa cleared the way for the mercenary.

"You are the leader of this assassin attack, yes?" Lucifer asked the nomad.

"How observant of you. I am Sealen. And you are?" the nomad replied.

"Just a humble servant of Castle Ostia. Now, if you'll allow me, it's time for me to kill you," Lucifer said nonchalantly.

"Just try," Sealen invited. He grinned smugly. 'A humble servant. What does he hope to accomplish?' he continued smiling.

"Let's do this," Lucifer grinned, and drew the Etherion from its sheathe. The nomad then shot an arrow at Lucifer, who easily blocked it with his sword. "You can do better than that, I hope."

"That was merely a test. Now you die," the nomad said, and he stuck a quarter of his quiver into his bow. "SHREDDING WIND!" he yelled, and aimed his bow at Lucifer. Then he fired, sending a hailstorm of arrows directly at Lucifer.

Lucifer just smiled. He put his sword on his shoulder. Then the sword was covered with a black cloud, and it trembled and shook like crazy, and it lifted itself up. Lucifer went along with the Etherion's motion, as it lifted him high above the storm of arrows, and down again on the nomad as he sliced his opponent in half. "...Weak..." Lucifer mumbled.

"I believe that's all of them..." Eliwood noted.

"Damn that Darin," Hector cursed. "We need to chase him down. We have to take the offensive now. Tomorrow, we leave and search for that bastard."

"I agree. We can leave Laus now; it's not a threat to us anymore."

On an island far away:

"Need...food..." Kuro croaked. He crawled along the edge of a beach. Then he passed out from fatigue and starvation. He had managed to escape his captors, but it would be a shame to die now because of hunger. A girl's figure walked out of the fog that covered the island.

"...He's powerful. He was able to slay some of the strongest warriors there," Limstella noted. She waved for her morphs. "Return him to the cage, and give him some food," she ordered her morphs. They complied. For some reason she felt a pang in her heart to see the dragon boy like this. '...what is this...I'm not supposed to have feelings...no. Is this...guilt? Pity?' Limstella thought to herself, and walked back into the fog.

Back at Laus:

"Oh dear Elimine, ERK!" Priscilla gasped in horror at Erk's giant arrow wound. Serra walked up and spotted it as well.

"Oh my god, ERKY!"

"I'll heal him now!" both healers said simultaneously and took out their mend staves. They glared at each other, but then smiled again.

"No, I'll heal him, if it's alright with you. It's my responsibility," Priscilla started.

"I was here before you in this army, so I think I should do it first."

"But he needs help now. If you don't argue, we could save his life now."

"Same goes to you. Just let me do it."

"Um...girls...sorry to interrupt, but he's losing a lot of blood..." Marcus interrupted, sweatdropping.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" both girls yelled.

"...okay...okay..." Marcus backed away.

The girls resumed giving each other ice cold glares. Erk finally woke up, to see a giant wound on his chest. "OH MY GOD WHAT IS THIS!" He freaked out at the sight of all the blood. His yell got the girls' attention.

"I'm sorry Erk, but this...cleric/troubadour...here won't let me heal you!" Serra and Priscilla said at the same time.

"...losing...blood...and...consciousness...fast..." Erk started mumbling.

"ERK! MEND!" both healers yelled waving their staves over Erk, and covered Erk's wound, and recovering him from his fatigue.

"Yay! Erky's back! Don't you need to thank me now?" Serra asked the mage, still blood-soaked.

"You? Excuse me, I saved him..." Priscilla interrupted.

"No you didn't! I did it! I did it, didn't I, Erky?" Serra looked at the mage, who didn't do anything.

"See? He's not doing anything because he knows I did it!"

"Oh yeah? WHORE!" Serra slapped Priscilla's face out of anger.

Priscilla's eyes were wide. A tear slid down each cheek, but she wouldn't give up now. She wouldn't let the crazy...b1tch...in front of her take Erk away from her. She took her hand, and slapped Serra back. "SLUT!"

Serra got angry, and pulled the other girl's hair. "SANCTIMONIOUS BIMBO!"

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" Priscilla tackled Serra and straddled the healer, and started scratching the cleric's face.

"B1TCH!" both screamed at the other at the same time. They rolled over onto the throne, and started to rip each others' clothes off.

Matthew, Guy, and Rebecca just entered the room. "WHOA!" Matthew gasped. He saw Erk on the ground, mouth gaping, just staring at the girls. He walked up to the mage. "...girl troubles?"

"...You have no idea..." Erk replied.

"...Shouldn't we stop this?" Matthew asked.

"...Do we have to?"

"...All this over you? Wow, you're real popular..."

"...Too much for my own good...all this because of a simple fatal wound," Erk said, pointing to the place where the wound was.

"DEAR ELIMINE!" Matthew was shocked at all the blood. Then he resumed looking at the healers, who have their clothes ripped down to just their underclothing and a few tattered shreds of their robes. Rebecca hid her face in Guy's chest, and he hugged her. He could feel her trembling in fear of the healers' savageness.

"SKANK!"

"TRAMP!"

"INCESTUOUS WENCH!" Serra yelled, and Priscilla was stunned, shocked. Serra grinned. "SUCCUBUS!" She then pulled Priscilla's bra off in Priscilla's stunned state. That did it. The troubadour's eyes burned up in flames of hate and rage as she started pummeling and scratching Serra to oblivion.

"Okay, this is getting scary," Erk finally stood up, took off his bloodied robes, and wiped the blood off his skin with his cloak. "ENOUGH!" he pulled the 2 healers apart in a surprising show of strength.

"...And I thought he was scary before..." Matthew commented to Guy.

"I appreciate that both of you care about me and saved my life, but you don't have to kill each other after that, all right? (sighs)...Thank you," Erk said, and walked away to change.

The healers looked at each other. "He said it to me," Serra said and stuck her tongue out. Priscilla said nothing, covering her breasts with her hands.

That night at camp:

Serra and Priscilla received a stern warning a long speech from Marcus about not attacking your teammates. They were dismissed after that, and each looked at the other with utter contempt.

'Today was crazy; stupid tramp had to flip out on me. I think I'll go take a bath...' Priscilla thought, and went towards the bathouse of Laus Castle.

'Dear Elimine, I reek of blood. I need to wash...' Erk thought.

'Stupid whore. Those were my best robes. And my hair is now...ugh! I'm going to need to fix this...' Serra thought.

Mark is still feeling the static after effects of the sage's thunder spell. He then hugged a wall for a few minutes to shake off the effect. 'Elimine, I'm tired...I need a bath...'

"This fight was really tiring...and I think we both reek of sweat," Rebecca told Hilda.

"I know...the bathhouse is open now, right?" Hilda asked the archer.

"Oh yeah! Let's go now!"

"The stench of your sweat is killing me, friend," Matthew complained.

"You're one to talk," Guy replied. "What were you looting, turd?"

"Well..."Matthew took out 5 Guilding Rings out of his pocket, an Orion's Bolt, and a Hero Crest. "Dead body looting has never been so fruitful. Here, have the Orion's Bolt and the Hero Crest. You can give the bolt to Rebecca when she finally likes you." His comment made Guy blush.

"We should really wash this stench off...especially you; you smell like a corpse!" Guy tried to return to the original subject.

"Hello...I was LOOTING!"

"Right. The bathhouse is open tonight...let's go."

Laus Bath house:

A sign said outside: "Co-ed night tonight" However, no one from the army noticed it since they were too tired to do so. Erk, Matthew, Guy, and Mark went together. Rebecca and Hilda went in as well, and later Serra entered, and finally, Priscilla.

"OH MY GOD! IT'S CO-ED TODAY?" Guy freaked out when he saw the notice in the men's changing room.

"Well, be glad it's really late at night, so there's nobody else here. I just hope that none of the girls thought that they needed to take a bath too..." Mark commented.

"Don't jinx it, man," Guy said.

They walked out into the hot water pool, and sat down, relieved to see that no one else was there. They went to a corner near the girls' bathroom. "...AAAAHHHHHH!" the four boys relaxed, and let the heat of the water sink into their skin.

Soon after, Hilda and Rebecca opened the door to the pool, but slammed it shut again. "OH MY GOD! IT'S CO-ED TODAY?" Rebecca freaked out when she saw the notice in the room, and after seeing Guy in the pool.

"Huh...Erk, Matthew, and Mark are also here. I guess they didn't know either..." Hilda commented.

"Oh, hi guys," Serra entered the room.

"...You might not want to go out there..." Rebecca said.

"Why not?"

"It's co-ed night. And Guy, Matthew, Mark, and Erk are out there."

"ERK'S OUT THERE! I'M GOING OUT!" Serra started to change quickly, and rushed out to meet Erk in the pool. Rebecca and Hilda sweatdropped, then started changing. Then Priscilla went inside.

"...Oh! Hello..." the shy troubadour greeted the others.

"Priscilla!" Rebecca greeted her.

Priscilla started changing.

"You sure you want to go out? It's co-ed tonight..." Hilda warned. "Guy, Matthew, Mark, Erk, and Serra are out there already."

"Erk and Serra? EEK!" Priscilla yelped. 'That whore...' she changed, and started to leave.

"...Weren't we the first ones here?" Rebecca asked her friend.

"...Whatever," Hilda replied, and they both walked out the door.

"ERKY!" Serra slid into the pool, sliding her left leg along Erk's right arm, making him turn red, and hugged him.

"Err...hi..." Matthew slid away, and told Guy and Mark to move away, knowing full well the chaos that would ensue when those 2 are together. Priscilla then went in. Matthew saw her come in, as well. 'Aww...crap...there goes relaxation...hello, entertainment...' Matthew thought.

Priscilla looked stunning in her red bath towel; a color almost the same shade as her hair. She hugged herself with her hands, and walked towards the pool. The towel only went as low as to cover a small part of the top of her legs. She walked gracefully towards the pool with her long and slender legs, but she was nervous. She wasn't used to the idea of co-ed bathing. She saw Serra hugging Erk, leaning onto him. Priscilla almost burst into tears, if not for a slight movement Erk made. He tried to inch AWAY from Serra, but she held onto him tightly. Priscilla felt hope, and walked towards the mage.

Serra frowned to see Priscilla walking up to them. Priscilla sat on the ledge of the pool beside Erk, resting her right thigh on his left shoulder. Erk could feel blood running down his nose. 'Oh crap,' he thought.

"Can I join you, Erk?" Priscilla asked the mage sweetly.

"NO!" Serra shouted at her.

"I asked Erk, not you. Erk?" Priscilla asked again.

"...Um...sure..." Erk just said meekly. 'Those bastards...how could they abandon me?' he thought, looking at his friends, who were waving at him on the other side of the pool.

"Man...We should have brought a snack to watch this..." Guy commented.

"I agree...HOLY CRAP!" Mark yelped as he saw Hilda and Rebecca exit the girls' change room, dressed in only towels.

"OHMYGODITSREBECCA!" Guy said really quickly, and hid his head in the very hot water. "OHMYGODMYFACEISBURNING!" he screamed as he pulled his head back out.

"...kids..." Matthew sweatdropped.

"All right, guys, I'm going to go sit with Hilda," Mark said, and went to meet his girlfriend. He led her to a different corner of the pool, and sat with her. They started talking, leaving Rebecca alone.

"Um...where do I sit?" Rebecca asked her friend.

"Oh...go with Matthew and Guy, because things might get a bit harsh around here and with the healers..." Hilda told the archer.

"Um...all right," Rebecca nodded, but she was really uncomfortable with having to sit with Guy. 'Take a deep breath...don't let him know yet. Come on, Rebecca, you can do this,' she thought to herself.

Rebecca walked up to and sat down beside Guy. None of them said anything for a while, too afraid to look at the other. Matthew shook his head, and broke the silence. "I need to go to the bathroom..." was his excuse, and he walked out. Guy wanted to pull him back down; he didn't want to be alone with Rebecca; those moments are usually awkward.

"So...you're tired too?" Guy asked the archer, still not looking at her.

"No...Hilda said we reeked of sweat..." Rebecca replied, also not looking at Guy.

"...This is awkward..."

"Yeah..."

"Um...I like to sleep outside under the night sky so I can feel the wind on my face and look at the stars to admire them before I sleep..." Guy just said suddenly. 'YOU DUMBASS! WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?' he cursed himself.

"...Sometimes I do, too, when I'm bored; the village I live in doesn't have much to look at," Rebecca replied.

"...Really?" Guy asked her. 'This is finally getting somewhere...' he thought. Rebecca nodded in response. "Sometimes...if you want to...would you do that with me?"

"Sure!" Rebecca looked at Guy with a smile. 'This is finally getting somewhere!' Rebecca thought happily. "Just tell me when." Guy nodded and smiled.

Serra and Priscilla were squishing Erk with their bodies. Erk is suffering really badly right now; he has a major boner, and he can't use it. Fortunately, the girls were too busy glaring daggers at each other, they didn't notice it. Erk, unable to take this torture anymore, said. "...It's getting late, and my fingers are getting all wrinkly. Why don't we call this a day?" Erk asked the 2 healers, and got up to enter the men's change room.

"...This is your fault he left," Priscilla said to Serra, got up, and went to the change room.

"IS NOT!" Serra followed suit.

Mark and Hilda already left during this exchange.

"I think we should get out too," Guy said. He started to stand up.

"...Hold on!" Rebecca grabbed onto his towel in the quickness of her reaction. As Guy stood up, the towel went down. "...OHMYGODIMSORRY!"

"Crap..." Guy sat back down again, and put his towel on again.

"Um...I didn't see anything..." Rebecca held her chest with both hands, panting.

"Um...it's alright...I'll stay if you want," Guy said, truly embarrassed at what happened.

"...Thanks, Guy..."

Back at camp:

Everyone was asleep except for Erk, who was on guard duty again, Priscilla, who was reading a book again, and Serra. However, Serra soon fell asleep on the ground.

Erk took this chance to talk to the troubadour. "Lady Priscilla, might I have a word?"

Priscilla looked up from her book. "What is it, Erk?"

"It has been long since you left Etruria...Is your family not worried about you?"

"Yes, I suppose they are...but now that Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector, and you are looking out for me...I think I shall stay with this group a while longer..."

"Understood. If that is what you wish, then I have no complaints."

"Thank you Erk...by the way..."

"Yes?"

"About your former employer...Was it...a woman?"

"Eh? Ah, yes, she was. She certainly thought of herself as one," Erk said and chuckled.

"She was young?" Priscilla asked him.

"To look at her, she was no younger than you or I, Lady Priscilla. But I'm afraid she was nowhere near as mature...but why do you ask?" Erk asked her curiously. "It's not something I like to think of much..."

"No...No particular reason..." Priscilla blushed, trying to cover up. Thankfully, the color of the campfire on her face covered her blush. "It was just something on my mind...Perhaps...um...were you and your employer...close?"

"Hardly! If that was a jest, I fail to see the humor! It makes me shiver just to think about it..." Erk did shiver.

"Really?"

"Of course."

"I see...That's fine then; I had no particular reason for asking, mind you. But...what was her name?"

"She's the person sleeping on the ground in front of you right now," Erk pointed at Serra. Priscilla was relieved; Erk didn't like Serra at all. That was good news.

End Eliwood's and Hector's tales chapter 5

Please R&R!


	21. HectorEliwood 6: Noble Lady of Caelin

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever, just my own characters

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Eliwood's and Hector's tales Chapter 6: Noble Lady of Caelin**

"ETHER FLARE!" Hiro yelled, launching a barrage of burning bolts. It struck the oncoming Laus soldiers, but more replaced the ones he barbequed. "Damn! There are too many of them..." he cursed. "Guys, get Lyn out of here! NOW! I'll hold them off!" Lyn, Kent, Sain, Florina, and Wil ran away. Odin stayed to help Hiro. "...Why didn't you go too?"

"I want to protect Lady Lyndis as well. I can do nothing for her if I am not at the source of the trouble," Odin replied. "SPIRIT BREAK!" he yelled, launching a giant ball of electricity, electrocuting all in its path. "How many soldiers DOES that Darin have?"

"I don't know...I just hope they stop coming soon...using our swords' abilities a lot drains a lot of energy..." Hiro panted.

"I agree," Odin started to show signs of fatigue as well. Soon they were too tired, it was really hard on them to cast their attacks even once. "Damn. Hiro, get on. We'll catch up with the others."

"All right. ETHER FLARE!" Hiro struck his sword at the ground, but this time, aimed the bolts at a high angle, into the ceiling, and making it collapse to create a barricade between them and the Laus soldiers. "Let's go!"

Now, back to Eliwood and his group:

"Blast! Where on earth has that snake Darin gone?" Hector cursed.

"I doubt he's left Lycia yet, but... Hector... it's been five days. The death of Marquess Santaruz... Our attack on Laus Castle... Word of these things must have reached Lord Uther by now. And yet he shows no sing of action... Why?" Eliwood asked his friend.

"I'm sure he has his reasons. My brother has other concerns tying his hands right now," Hector told the confused Eliwood. "...It's Bern. We've received disturbing reports over the past few months. King Desmond is behaving oddly. If he sees even the slightest crack in Lycia's defenses, we believe he'll invade with all of Bern's might behind him. My brother has only recently become marquess, as well as head of the Lycian League. He can't allow another country to see any weakness or discord."

"He has to present the face of stability and strength, is that it?" Eliwood tried to simplify what Hector said.

"Yes. It seems every country has a spy working in Ostia right now. They all want to assess the new marquess's temperament and skill. If they sense anything wrong, word will spread like wildfire..." Hector trailed off.

"Hector, you're the marquess's brother... Would not being at his side be seen as someting 'wrong'?"

Hector laughed at his friend's question. "The marquess's brother is a well-known lout. If I WERE at court, they'd sense something wrong," Hector explained.

"...You're not too proud of that reputation, are you?" Eliwood asked, sweatdropping.

"Not in the least."

Then Marcus rode up to them in a rush. "LORD ELIWOOD! LORD HECTOR!" he called to the young lords.

"What is it, Marcus? Have you heard something?" Eliwood asked the paladin, curious and worried why the paladin was in such a rush.

"Yes, my lord. A messenger from the east! Castle Caelin has fallen to a surprise attack from Marquess Laus!" the paladin replied.

"Castle Caelin?"

"They've struck again," Hector said.

"...Lord Hausen, is he unharmed?" Eliwood asked, face filled with worry.

"We've no word on Lord Hausen or his granddaughter, the lady Lyndis," Marcus said sadly.

"I never expected them to attack Caelin... Lord Hausen... Lyndis..."

"Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector... What should we do?" Marcus waited for further orders

"They might still be alive, right? There's only one thing we can do!" Hector said, cracking his knuckles.

"We ride to their aid! There may still be time!" Eliwood said, and ordering Marcus to get everyone to rush to Caelin.

Back at near Caelin:

"Milady, I've returned, and I have brought news. Laus soldiers are scattered from the castle to the edge of this forest. There must be at least 300 soldiers!" Odin told Lyn as he and Hiro caught up with the group.

"Are you sure about this, milady? We barely escaped. Going back to the castle would mean almost certain death," Sain told the lord.

"My grandfather is in the castle. I left the castle on his orders, but... I can't leave him in there alone!" Lyn said, looking worried.

"The numbers we face... Rescuing Lord Hausen will be no easy task," Wil noted.

"I wonder if we can expect any reinforcements..." Sain thought out loud.

"I overheard some of the Laus soldiers talking. They claim that Lord Eliwood invaded Laus and drove them out," Odin told them.

"Eliwood? Why would he attack Laus?" Lyn asked, now curious.

"It gets even more interesting... Not only did Marquess Laus abandon his castle, but he also left his son, Erik, behind when he fled here to Caelin," Odin added.

"That's despicable! He abandoned his own son?" Kent asked in disgust.

"But at least we know Eliwood is in Laus. We might be able to ask him for help. ...Assuming there were a way to contact him," Lyn said, but was a bit disappointed that she couldn't think of a way to contact him.

"If we are to avoid being caught, the best path would be through the forest. Shall I go?" Wil offered.

"I suspect you're right. Horses cannot move well in woods... It'll take you a while, but you can travel lightly..." Lyn hesitated, not wanting to send out one of her best men out already.

"Lady Lyndis! I'll go! I can fly above the forest. I can be in Laus faster than anyone else," Florina offered.

"Florina? You can't do this on your own! It's not possible!" Lyn shook her head furiously in response. She couldn't bear to lose Florina if the Pegasus knight was shot down.

"Thanks to my time here, I'm no longer as timid around men as I used to be. And I've met Lord Eliwood before. I'm sure I can do this on my own," Florina replied with confidence.

"It will be terribly dangerous... You understand, don't you?" Lyn asked, still hesitant to give the order to her friend.

"Yes. But... I promised myself I would become braver for you. I'm not the weak little Florina I used to be. I'll be fine. Trust me," Florina pleaded.

"You've convinced me. The job's yours, Florina. But you must promise me that you won't try anything impossible!"

"Yes, milady! Farewell!" and with that, Florina took off.

"Did you hear our meek Florina? She sounded most forceful! Beautiful!" Sain said after they were out of Florina's hearing range.

"Yeah, thanks to me," Wil grinned smugly.

"We owe you for helping her with her problem, Wil. And her loyalty to Lyndis has made her much braver than before; usually she would be too scared to fly because of enemy archers..." Kent added.

"When we lived on the plains, I was always her protector. I know I shouldn't feel sad, and yet..." Lyn trailed off.

At Castle Caelin:

"Commander Bauker! There's something in the southern skies," a soldier warned his leader.

"Is that... a pegasus knight? Where do you suppose she's going? It doesn't matter. We've been told not to let anyone out of Caelin. Archers! Advance! Bring her down!" the knight commanded.

'To reach Laus, I must go over the forest... and fly north. Then, I'll have to... Wait! Who are those people? They fly no banner, and yet...Ah! That man in the lead! It's Lord Eliwood! He's come to Caelin's aid! That's wonderful. I have to tell him where Lady Lyndis is waiting!' Florina thought to herself as she saw Eliwood's group march towards Caelin.

"I've spotted the enemy... Why are their archers advancing? They're aiming at something up high..." Hector commented.

"Lord Eliwood, look! Up there! A pegasus knight!" Marcus called Eliwood.

"FLORINA!" Fiaa called up to her friend. "Could it really be...Florina, is that you?"

"Fiaa!" Florina called back. "Yes, it's me! I'm Lady Lyndis's..."Before she could finish however, Fiaa saw the archers all fire at Florina simultaneously.

"Florina! DIVE BOMB! DIVE BOMB!" Fiaa told her friend.

"What?" Florina looked behind her, to see arrows flying towards her. "Oh! AAAAHHH!" she screamed as she lost control of Huey and fell down, and she fainted during the fall.

A few minutes later:

"Can you hear me? Florina?" Fiaa called to her friend.

"AH!...Fiaa?" Florina woke up.

"Those archers almost hit you. You avoided the arrows, but you lost your balance," Fiaa told the other Pegasus knight what happened.

"I'm sorry. I'm such trouble..."

"I'm just glad you're not hurt. Tell me, Florina, weren't you with Lyndis?" Eliwood asked Florina.

"Yes! Lord Eliwood, Lady Lyndis is beyond that forest. She's waiting for a chance to assault the castle," Florina replied.

"She's what? Ah... Still, it's good to hear she's safe," Eliwood said, somewhat relieved, but surprised at Lyn's plan.

"She's fine. However, Lord Hausen's been captured. He's still in the castle," Florina explained.

"I see. Let's go then."

Back at the castle:

"Someone get up there and scour the area! I want to know if we brought down that pegasus knight! If she's still breathing, make her stop!" Bauker commanded.

"My lord! To the west! We're under attack! It's the Pheraen noble, Eliwood!" reported a soldier.

"He's here, eh? Now's our chance to show Marquess Laus our loyalty. Our opponents are a motley band of fools! They're no match for us!"

Mark paid Hannah the usual sum to have her tell him about the battle. "I see a new companion... Strong of heart, strong of will. You must combine your strengths and work together. Lances... Yes, lance wielders are invaluable here. Use the woods well. You... You will need magic, yes? And rapiers and hammers, as well..." Hannah said, as she snapped out of her trance.

"All right everyone, we know that Lady Lyndis's location is to the southeast, near the armories and the vendor. There's also a village there. Here's the plan. Marcus, you guard Merlinus and Hannah, as usual. Dorcas and Bartre, you stay with them, just in case. Matthew, Guy, Rebecca, Erk, Serra, Priscilla, and Eiji will go to the southeast and escort Lyndis's group to the main group. Eiji, you'll have to be a wall of protection for your group; they're nowhere as heavily armored as you are. By the time you get there, head north towards the castle. We'll meet you there. Watch out for ballistae, though. Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood, Mark, Oswin, Lucifer, and I will go north. The fliers will go to the east, and prepare to back up Matthew's group. Let's do it!" Hilda instructed, and the group separated.

"All right, there's a village to the west. We should try our best to save it first from the brigands that Wil said will be coming from the south. Wil, Lyn, and I will do that. The cavaliers will go north to take out the ballistae, but try your best not to get seen by the enemy. After you do, hide at the edge of the forest until you see us," Hiro instructed.

"Enemy mercenaries!" Guy told his group, and entered a fighting stance. The enemy's numbers were huge...there are about at least 40. "This won't be easy..."Guy mumbled, and started to focus his chi on his Killing Edge, and ran towards the enemy group. "Sword of Gale!" He disappeared for a second; and during that second, slashing sounds could be heard, and flashes of light from the Killing Edge can be seen. Then he reappeared in front of his group, looking like he just finished a back flip.

"Arrow Storm!" Rebecca and Erk yelled. Rebecca shot her Arrow Shower attack while Erk charged his thunder spell to the max. As the arrows started coming down, they were powered up by the lightning bolt that came crashing down on the enemies. The arrows killed many of the enemy. Soon, the fighting force was reduced to only half its original size.

"Watch out!" Eiji warned, and walked in front of the group. Apparently, enemy cavaliers have joined in the fray. He took a lance thrust straight in the gut, grabbed the lance, and swung the enemy far away in a whirlwind toss, into the lance of another enemy cavalier. "TAKE THIS!" Eiji launched a Steel Lance at an oncoming Cavalier, and pulled the body back with the chain attached to the lance. He swung the body at another cavalier, and they both fell off their horses only to be trampled by their comrades.

"They seem to be fighting someone else..." Hiro noted. "Let's attack their back ranks."

"Got it! ARROW SHOWER!" Wil aimed his quiver up high and let loose a barrage of arrows down on their enemies.

"ETHER FLARE!" Hiro swung his sword at the ground, releasing four bolts of fire upon his enemies, burning everything in their paths.

"...I'd recognize that move anywhere! It's Hiro!" Erk told Matthew. "He's here, too!"

"You're right! YO, HIRO! OVER HERE!" Matthew called for the myrmidon.

"It's Matthew!" Hiro told the other 2, recognizing the thief's voice. "Let's clear the path! RAGH!" Hiro and Lyn started cutting down enemy mercenaries with fervor, until none were left.

"Matt! Erk!" the 3 friends shook hands at the reunion. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're in Lord Eliwood's and Hector's army, and our mission here is to liberate Caelin from Laus," Erk told him. "I'm the escort of that troubadour over there, Priscilla."

"And as you probably have suspected, I am a spy for Ostia," Matthew told the myrmidon.

"You're here to liberate Caelin too? That's great. We can join forces then," Hiro offered.

"Lady Lyndis, what do you say?" Matthew asked the lord.

"Of course. I need all the help I can get," Lyn said. The group then walked up to join the main force. The fliers, seeing that the group is all right, headed down to join the lords' battle group.

"Hiro! So, it is you!" the blue armored general greeted the young myrmidon.

"Eiji? That you?"

"It's me, all right! Come on, Lord Kyo is here too! We're now mercenaries hired by the House of Ostia!"

"Kyo too? Great!" The general and myrmidon dashed to catch up with the others.

At the gate of Castle Caelin:

"I take it that's Bauker..." Eliwood commented, seeing the greenish-yellow armored knight blocking the gate.

"Watch out; he has other knights with him," Hector pointed out, noticing that Bauker had called light orange armored knights from the castle to assist him. "What's the plan, Mark?"

"They're all heavily armored, and only you and Lord Eliwood have armor piercing weapons, milord," Mark commented. "I'll hold off the other knights with my magic, and Lucifer and Oswin can help me as well."

"Got it," Hector said, and he and Eliwood rushed to fight Bauker.

"METEOR SMASH!" Lucifer dashed at an enemy knight. He charged his sword with his chi, and swung it down heavily on the ground, making a shockwave. The enemy knight didn't expect this, but even if he did, he wouldn't have been able to withstand its strength. It made him fly backwards very far. Then Lucifer lifted his sword up above his head, opening a small tear in space, and a flaming meteor came out of it. It was sent flying at the knight, who was crushed under its weight and burned by its heat. Mark sent a Nosferatu spell, killing another knight.

"PREPARE TO FALL BEFORE YOUR MASTER!" Bauker yelled at the oncoming lords. He readied his javelin. Hector spun around in a whirlwind, and threw his hand axe at the knight. "...amateur..." Bauker sighed, and put up his javelin to block the axe. However, he forgot that Hector was spinning madly, gaining momentum for his hand axe. Therefore, instead of being blocked, it cut through the metal stick of Bauker's javelin. "What?" Bauker moved his head aside so the axe wouldn't strike it. "Damn...crazy kid..."

"RAAGH!" Hector rushed up to Bauker, dragging his Wolf Beil in the air to strike. "DIE!" he yelled, and swung hard at the knight. The knight deflected the strike with the stick of his Steel Lance, and stepped away from the crazed lord. He didn't see Eliwood behind him, as Eliwood's rapier sliced open a large hole on the side of the knight's armor. Eliwood then continued to slash madly, tearing the armor apart, and pushing Bauker back.

"Damn it!" Bauker yelled, and rushed Eliwood with his shield. Eliwood was about to strike it, but pulled his fragile sword back so it wouldn't break on impact with the shield. Eliwood was sent flying back after the powerful strike. Bauker readied another Javelin to strike down Eliwood, but Hector intervened by tackling the knight. Hector grabbed Eliwood's hand and pulled his friend up.

"Let's finish this," Eliwood said. Hector nodded, and readied another hand axe. He spun around like a maniac again, and tossed it at Bauker.

"Oh, please. Like the same trick will work on me twice," Bauker said cockily, as he easily stepped to the side to avoid it. However, as soon as Hector launched the axe, he tossed another one...and another, Bauker expected neither of them. One struck his shield, pushing it away, and the other destroyed his lance. Eliwood took this chance to rush in, and strike the knight in the heart through a tear in the armor he made earlier. "...I've been... defeated? Such... a shame..." and after those words, Bauker grew limp, and died.

"Eliwood!" Lyn ran up to the 2 lords who just defeated Bauker and called to the red-headed noble.

"Lyn!... Commander Bauker... He was a fierce enemy. Lyndis, once we've defeated the remaining foe, the castle's yours," Eliwood told her.

"Thank you, Eliwood. If not for your help, I don't know where I'd be right now."

"All of this happened because we routed Lord Darin at Laus, just to get information on where my father disappeared to. It's only right that we help."

"You explained your motives to me, Eliwood. This is about your father. I would do the same thing in your position. What happened in Caelin is not your fault."

"Thank you. However, until your castle is yours again, I take responsibility."

"I understand. Thank you."

"Eliwood! We're moving into the castle!" Hector called the red-headed lord

"All right," Eliwood replied.

"Who's that?" Lyn asked, leaning to the side to see the Ostian.

"Oh, yes, let me introduce you. HECTOR!" Eliwood called for his friend.

"What?" Hector walked up to the 2 other lords.

"This is Lyndis. She's Lord Hausen's granddaughter. Lyndis, this is Hector. He's Lord Uther's brother," Eliwood introduced them to each other.

"His brother? Really?" Lyn asked in some disbelief.

"Yeah," Hector nodded.

"I was watching the way he fights... He's not like you, Eliwood. He's somewhat like my own knights, but different still. He relies so much on power. It's like he's never been..." Lyn commented.

"I haven't. I taught myself how to fight."

"I've no issue with that, but the way you swing that axe around... You're a threat to your allies! You should be more watchful."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Lyn's last comment got Hector enraged.

"Lyndis? What came over you?" Eliwood asked his friend.

"Hm? Oh... I... My apologies. I didn't intend to seem so critical," Lyn apologized, but Hector growled.

"Granted, Hector's style may be a tad dangerous, but... There's no one I depend on more. You may think him careless, but he's always aware of his surroundings," Eliwood backed Hector up.

"The more you praise me, the less worthy I sound," Hector commented, rolling his eyes.

"Lyndis, once you fight alongside Hector, I'm sure you'll understand."

"I'm sure you're right. I apologize, Hector. I'm honored to have your help," Lyn said, extending her hand out for Hector to shake it.

"No apology necessary. I'm glad I can lend a hand," Hector said, shaking the lord's hand.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" Eliwood called the other 2 lords.

Outside, Eliwood's and Lyn's forces gathered and the warriors from the Caelin heir dispute had a reunion. So did Eiji, Kyo, and the tacticians.

"So you've been in Elibe all this time?" Kyo asked the young myrmidon.

"Yeah. I lived in Sacae for some time, but then I had to move to the tactician's guild because the Black Fang attacked our village. Then I went to serve under the house of Caelin as a tactician," Hiro explained.

"I'm glad to be able to see you again..." however, Kyo was interrupted by Hilda and Mark.

"OHMYGODHIROYOUWONTBELIEVETHISMITSUNAISMISSING!" Hilda and Mark shouted very quickly at Hiro, who sweatdropped.

"...I see," Hiro nodded, looking grim. 'So...that assassin must have put his plan into action...' he thought. "Is that why you're taking her place in Pherae, Mark?"

"Yeah," Mark nodded. "It's good to see you again."

"...I'm worried about the others..." Hiro said. "Do you think they'll be able to survive with the only 2 sane members of the group not being there?"

"...I know Ian could, as long as he has money, I'm not so sure about the others..." Mark commented.

"Well, we should follow our leaders inside for now..." Hiro commented. "Let's go. Tell me the rest of your stories later."

"Hold on, Hiro," Kyo called for the myrmidon. "This is Lucifer. Like the 2 of us, he is...gifted with the power of a magic sword..." Lucifer stepped up.

"We'll share stories later. Let's go inside," Lucifer said, running inside the castle.

Dragon Lands:

"Soon...when the rest of the 7 Divine Dragons have died...I shall put my plan into action," Alveen said to 3 other fire dragons in the room. "Trieze, Blight, and Mordred. You are my 3 most trusted generals. You will be the ones to go out first when that fool Nergal opens the gate. I suspect that Xiphias's older son and his friends will try to stop you, so...I have a backup plan. We will need Xiphias's younger son, and Idoun's clone."

"Yes, milord. Would you mind telling us this plan?" Mordred, the strongest and the largest of the 3 fire dragons asked his master.

"It is simple. The mind of a young dragon is as weak and easy to tempt as those of a human's. We simply need to lure Rodrak with a female dragon. That's where Idoun's clone comes in. When he is lured into our territory, we capture him, and cage him. When you do, only torture him a little bit. We want him to look beat up, but not so close to death that he won't be able to put up a fight in the human world," Alveen told his generals. "We shall initiate this plan as soon as little Idoun recovers."

Rodrak, meanwhile, changed into his human form. His human form was that of a 13 year old boy's, with white hair just like his brother's, and sapphire eyes. He enjoyed being in his human form; in the Dragons' world, he feels a lot lighter and free in his human form, and he doesn't have to lumber around as a dragon. He found and hid his own hot spring by himself a few years ago, and likes to go there by himself. Unfortunately, it is at the edge of the Silver Dragons' and Fire Dragons' territory, so he had to mask his smell and its location by growing a small forest with very sweet smelling plants around it, which he kept tidy. Whenever he goes here, no one really cares because they know that Rodrak likes to be alone to think most of the time; he doesn't like to talk with other dragons his age.

"She's finally recovered? Excellent..." Alveen smirked. "Commence with the plan. Find that silver dragon, lure him into our territory, and capture him."

"Sir, one of our border scouts saw a young silver dragon enter the new forest in the silver dragon area, but not before changing into his human form. It's that forest with very sweet smelling herbs to mask his scent," a fire dragon reported.

"What does his human form look like?"

"Pale skinned young human youth, with white hair," the fire dragon told Alveen.

"White hair...that's him. Send Idoun there immediately. And before she enters, tell her to change into her human form," Alveen said.

"Father?" Idoun's clone walked inside.

"Idoun, I want you to go to the forest near the border of our territory and the silver dragons'. There is a silver dragon inside that forest, in his human form. I want you to lure him into our area, so we can capture him. We're going to need him for...something else," Alveen told his daughter.

"We don't have to destroy the forest, do we? There's a hot spring inside; I like to go there when you or mommy are busy..."

'I think that's why the boy is there. This is better. She can lure him here using that,' Alveen thought. "Change of plans. Why don't you just go to the hot spring, and...make friends with him. You need to have friends, Idoun, and you can...bring him over if you want," Alveen told his daughter. The effect on the boy, after being betrayed by Idoun will be much greater. Besides, if Idoun acted to lure him here, the chances of success would be lower than if she lured him here naturally.

"Really?" Idoun perked up.

"Yes, dear. Now, go ahead," Alveen smirked. As soon as Idoun was gone, he laughed maniacally.


	22. HectorEliwood 7: Whereabouts Unknown

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever

To Dairokkan: All the sword users will have a different class of their own when they promote. They will promote later on in the story, using 2 promotion items. Remember that Karla had a Hero Crest and an Ocean Seal with her?

To Black Lord 500: Of course

I'm going to make these characters evil...not alignment wise, but personality wise, like Serra evil, just nowhere as bad. I'm thinking about making Raven, Erk, and Matthew more evil than usual. Raven's not going to be too overprotective of Priscilla, so he'll be evil in a different, more gangster, badass way.

By the way: new class promotion. I think that although soldiers should actually promote to generals, but I felt like making up a new promotion for it; a dragoon.

This episode, introducing: Einharjar, and its owner. And a dragoon to be.

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Eliwood's and Hector's Tales Chapter 7: Whereabouts Unknown**

An arena far away in Bern:

"The newly famed Princess of swords has shown herself in our arena!" the announcer yelled as Karla stepped out of her side of the arena. She readied her Diabolique in one hand and another sword in the other. Her second sword was a WoDao, a rare and valuable sword only a few smiths could make. A fighter stepped out of his side of the arena, and smirked.

"What? You're kidding me...the princess of swords is but a mere girl? HAHAHAHA!" the fighter laughed.

"BEGIN!" the announcer yelled. As soon as he finished, Karla focused blue energy into her Diabolique, and disappeared.

"Huh? What?" the fighter said, surprised to see his enemy just vanish into thin air. He didn't feel much after that when his head fell to the ground as Karla reappeared behind him. Surprisingly, none of her swords had any blood on them. She pushed her bangs away from her forehead, and walked away to collect her winnings.

A young girl blond haired girl with light green eyes watched from the shadows in the arena's preparation area, playing with the hilt of her sword. She saw the myrmidon's face when Karla pushed her bangs out of her face. The blonde was surprised to see the face. 'Lady Mitsuna...?' the blonde thought, curious.

Inside Castle Caelin:

"Ri... Ridiculous... Even Bauker?" Darin asked Hausen in disbelief.

"Lord Darin, it's time to give up this madness. Further resistance is meaningless. For what you've done, you may never be forgiven, but it's not too late to try. Tell Eliwood everything. He'll intervene with Marquess Ostia on your behalf..." Hausen tried to reason with the ex-marquess of Laus.

"I... I've lost..." Darin looked defeated.

"Hurry! Eliwood will be here in no time. Let me speak for you. Gurr...Guaaaa!" Hausen screamed in pain, and he fell down forwards. Behind Hausen's body stood the cloaked figure of Ephidel.

"None of that now. Marquess Laus needs no troublesome advice," Ephidel said calmly, and grinned.

"L-Lord Ephidel!" Darin stared at the cloaked man in shock.

"There is no turning back for you now. You should know that. First, Marquess Santaruz... and now Marquess Caelin. Both deaths are on your head," Ephidel warned.

"What? It was by your hand that they both died! I-I never asked for this," Darin said.

"Yes, I killed them... for you."

"To...to trap me?"

"Don't be absurd. I follow my master's orders. My only wish is to deliver your dreams to you. The crown of a united Lycia... And once that is done, dominion over the entire continent. Is that not what you desire?"

"... Yes... Yes, of course. That dream IS still worth a few sacrifices, isn't it?"

"You're exactly right. Our plans may have gone drastically awry, but as long as we have the master's power behind us, we cannot be defeated. We'd do well to leave now, before those meddlesome worms arrive. You will leave everyone from Laus behind. We will use them to delay our foe," Ephidel instructed, and got ready to leave.

"Everyone... My soldiers? But... who will protect me?" Darin asked Ephidel, obviously concerned about his own safety.

"The Black Fang and I will more than suffice for that task. There is nothing else you need, I assure you."

"Yes... I... I see that now. Where do we go from here?"

"To the Dragon's Gate... Our master awaits us there. The master has informed me our hostage may be all we need. If all goes well, we may be able to perform the ceremony with them alone."

"Oh? Is that so? I suppose we've nothing to worry about," Darin sighed in relief.

"That is correct. Now please, begin your retreat. I have two or three orders to give, then I will be right behind you," Ephidel told Darin, as he walked out of the room to meet someone.

"Pathetic imbecile... Leila? Where are you?"

"I'm here," a young purple haired woman replied as she came out of the shadows. She had a brown cloak on, and underneath it, a purple shirt and white pants.

"While Eliwood is occupied, finish off Marquess Caelin and hide the body. The enemy will waste precious time searching for him," Ephidel instructed the thief.

"As you command..." Leila bowed, and set off to do her job.

"You know, you've only been with the Black Fang a short while. However, you are quite skilled... I look forward to watching you."

"Yes sir..."

Meanwhile, at Dragon's Gate:

"EARTHSHAKER!" Kuro yelled, and slammed his sword down hard into the ground, and opening a crevice in front of him to swallow anyone unlucky enough to have been there. A few of his pursuers managed to jump away, and all dashed at him. "CHRONO BREAK!" He yelled, and the sword activated its powers to stop time. Kuro took this chance to strike the ones closest to him, and ran.

He was starting to feel the effects of fatigue. The food had replenished him, but he needed rest. 'Just...gotta...make it...to water...' he thought to himself. He couldn't fly, because his wings had been dehydrated by Nergal's mages. 'Damn these weak human legs...' he thought, as he kept on running. Soon the Chrono Break's effects will subside, but he could just cast it again, as long as he had the energy.

Kuro couldn't run anymore. He was tired. He had been running for a few hours from them now. 'Almost...at...the beach...' he thought, smelling the salty air of the sea. 'You can do this...and after this...gotta go to Caelin...' he thought, as he picked up his pace.

"THERE HE IS!" Kuro heard a voice yell behind him.

'Crap,' he thought, and turned around to see 3 mercenaries advance upon him. He turned around, and continued running towards the beach.

'He escaped again...he's very persistent,' Limstella thought. 'What could drive him to do something so futile, over and over again?'

Now, back to Caelin:

"There are still quite a few Laus soldiers in the castle..."Eliwood remarked.

"Where are the Caelin guards?" Hector asked Lyn.

"Most of them were killed during a surprise attack, and more of them were killed when they fought back. However, thanks to Hiro's tactics, there is only about a third of the Laus force inside now..." Lyn commented. "The survivors must be here somewhere."

"They might be locked away as prisoners... We'd better rescues them quickly. If Marquess Laus decides to hold them hostage, it will make seizing the throne much more difficult..." Eliwood commented.

"It's settled! Let's find the guards and retake the castle!" Hector said, cracking his knuckles.

"Hold on, Grandfather. We'll be there shortly..." Lyn muttered to herself.

"All right! Let's go!" Eliwood raised his rapier up high to signal the army.

"Hiro, this is Hannah. She can do an augury to give us some information about the battle," Mark introduced the fortune-teller to the myrmidon. "For a fee, of course."

"Here," Hiro offered her some gold, which Hannah put in her robes.

"Sky riders beware... This battle is not for you. You will need a thief. There

will be a meeting... Take the polite girl... The flame-haired beauty. And

again, take your rapier and hammer..." Hannah said, and she came out of her trance.

"...That's freaky..." Hiro commented. "Flame haired beauty? Who's that?"

"I take it that's Priscilla; Hannah mentioned polite girl..." Hilda replied.

"Okay. I'll strategize for this battle, since I know the location," Hiro said. "To the west is a room with weapons for an emergency, and there's another one to the northwest. I'll be sending Wil, Florina, Matthew, Guy, and Rebecca to take care of them. We need to protect the merchant and Hannah; you guys told me Marcus is doing that, but he might need backup, so I'm posting Eiji here with him. There's an empty room used for storage; that's where the survivors should be if they were locked up. Everyone else, we'll clear the way until we get to the throne. Priscilla!" Hiro called the troubadour, who walked up to him, holding Erk's left arm, dragging the mage, while Serra was holding the mage's other arm. "...okay. Anyways, first of all, you and Serra, get off of Erk. Secondly, Priscilla, you need to be on a lookout for someone you recognize. Hannah said something about you having a meeting with someone." Priscilla nodded, then resumed to hold onto Erk. Hiro sweatdropped. "Well, since that's all, COME ON!"

A myrmidon, a mercenary, a knight, and a cavalier were blocking the way, but soon they were barbequed. Then the small army stormed the castle. Wil, Florina, Matthew, Guy, and Rebecca went to the west to go to the first weapons room. They were greeted by a few guards; shaman, by the looks of their clothing. Wil got on Huey, and started to snipe them while Florina dived and dodged flux spells thrown at her. Guy slashed any that came near him and Rebecca, and Rebecca sniped any that were charging up spells. While the shamans were distracted, Matthew snuck by them and opened the door to the room. He saw an archer, waiting by a window, to snipe the main force. Matthew grinned, and slit the archer's throat. He then opened the chests to find a Hero Crest and an Unlock staff. He smiled again, proud of his find, and exited the room.

"Hey, you. Let me out of here," a flame-haired mercenary said from inside one of the storage rooms. He was addressing a Laus soldier outside, and he didn't sound too happy. He was being locked up with 3 Caelin soldiers and Lucius.

"What?" the soldier asked.

"Marquess Ostia's brother is among your enemy, right? Let me out, and I'll help you. But I must have the brother. I've a score to settle with house Ostia," the mercenary told the soldier.

"Do you think me a fool? You work for house Caelin! I cannot trust your word!"

"Then I'll have to break down this door and go through you. You were using Lucius as a hostage, but now he's here with me..." the soldier could hear the mercenary crack his knuckles.

"Uh..." the soldier was unsure of what to say; he was scared and he didn't know if the mercenary was bluffing or not.

"No, Lord Raven! You musn't! You cannot betray your debt to Marquess Caelin," Lucius pleaded.

"Shut up, Lucius. You think me foolish, but you don't understand...How about it?" Raven turned towards the soldier again.

"Very well. You! Get out! Remember, if you betray us, your companion dies," the soldier threatened.

"I see. Just remember, if that happens, you die next," Raven said as he calmly walked out the door, glaring daggers at the soldier.

"Wait! You can't go alone! It's too dangerous!" Lucius pleaded to his friend.

"Lucius, stay here and be quiet. I'll be back for you," Raven told the monk, and left.

"LORD RAVEN!" Lucius pleaded as the door was closed on him.

"I thought I heard someone familiar..." Priscilla said to herself.

Erk heard his companion's mumble. "What is it, Lady Priscilla?"

"Oh...nothing...let us move onwards..."

Erk and Priscilla were leading the way, and they were about to turn the corner at the end of the hallway when a knight and an archer ambushed them. "Lady Priscilla, watch out!" Erk warned her, as he blasted the archer with a thunder spell. He dodged a blow from the knight's lance, and electrocuted him with his thunder spell. "Phew...that was close..."

Raven heard the little scuffle on the other side of the wall, and prepared to ambush whoever came past the corner. He heard the clap of hooves on the stone floor. He prepared to strike, and was about to leap when he saw Priscilla turn the corner...with Erk. He sheathed his blade, and walked up to her.

"Ah!" Priscilla looked to her left, scared to see the mercenary walking up to her. Erk walked up beside her, and was about to attack, but stopped when he saw that the mercenary had his weapons sheathed. "Who..."

"Hm. I see. You don't remember me. I can't blame you, since I left when you were so young," Raven said to Priscilla, who just sat on her horse, speechless.

"B...brother Raymond?" Priscilla said.

"Yes...it's me."

"Lady Priscilla, you have a brother?" Erk asked the troubadour.

"Who are you?" Raven looked at Erk.

"Forgive me, sir. I was hired by Lady Priscilla to be her escort. I'm pleased to meet you, sir...um...Raymond," Erk bowed.

"...Raven. Call me Raven now. Erk...and sister...can we keep the fact that I'm Priscilla's sister just between us?" he looked at Erk.

"...of course, Lord Raven," Erk bowed.

"...Erk?"

"Yes, Lord Raven?"

"Don't call me that. That's Lucius's job."

"...Lucius is here, too? Where is he?"

"He's waiting for me at the storage room down the hall, being kept as a hostage. I...had to make up an excuse that I'll fight your army so I could escape and...come back with reinforcements. If I betray the Laus soldiers now, they won't be expecting it," Raven explained.

"I see. I'll help you save Lucius, he was a comrade of mine too," Erk told Raven.

"Let's go!"

Hiro turned around the corner. He heard the whole conversation, but decided that it was best to leave the matter for later.

"YO...YOU!" the soldier yelled as he saw Raven with his sword unsheathed. "DIE, TRAITOR!" he yelled, and called for a few cavaliers to back him up. "YOU'LL PAY FOR...OOMPH!" Raven slammed the soldier's skull into the wall with the flat side of his blade.

"What's that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of the wall cracking," Raven mocked the dead soldier as he kicked the corpse's butt, literally. Raven got into a fighting stance again, as Erk stood by his side, charging up his fire tome. "HERE THEY COME!"

2 cavaliers rushed at Raven and Erk. Erk just smirked. "SCORCHING HELL!" he yelled, and unleashed a wave of fire on the charging cavaliers, and the ones behind them, burning them to their deaths. Raven looked at the mage in awe. "...I love the smell of napalm in the morning," smirked the mage.

"...Do you, like, like my sister?" the mercenary asked the mage, scared of what Erk's answer would be, and scared of Erk's sadisticness.

"GAH! Um...why do you ask?" Erk's face turned red.

"...Nothing..." Raven looked away from the scary mage. 'Stay calm Raven, he's not going to kill your sister if he likes her. Stay calm...' "Look out! More are coming!"

"No problem! SCORCHING HELL!"

"...Well, that was a waste of breath."

Raven walked up to the door of the storage room, to hear a small conversation take place between Lucius and the soldiers.

"It must be Lady Lyndis! She's found reinforcements! It's time..." a soldier said.

"Hm? What... What are you doing?" Lucius stood up and walked up to the soldier.

"I thought aid might come, so I hid keys and weapons here," the soldier replied. "...What are you going to do?"

"Uh..." Lucius didn't know what to do.

"Your master... He's betrayed us. Lucius, I must ask. What will you do?"

"I... I want to stop Lord Raven. However... In his current state, I...doubt he will lend me his ear. And so... I will... wait. I will wait for Lord Raven here. I'm sorry... I cannot fight. ...Please understand," Lucius explained.

"I do. Here, these are for you," the soldier took out something from the hidden stash and gave it to Lucius.

"For me? Vulnerary and a book of light magic?"

"You don't have to fight, just protect yourself. I've known you only a short time, but you're a friend. I don't want to see you die..." the soldier said. Apparently, from his voice, it was noticeable that this soldier was a teenager; younger than twenty.

"Thank you Kain...thank you."

"All right boys! Open that door! On our honor as Caelin knights, we will save the marquess!" Kain raised his lance up. Just then, Raven kicked the door down.

"What? I go leave you guys for a few minutes so you can be safe, you plan to go on a suicide mission? What's wrong with you people?" Raven asked the soldiers and Lucius.

"You ruined the moment, man," Kain commented.

"I know," Raven smirked at the soldier. "Come on, Lucius, let's go. The rest of you, stay here."

Just then Hiro appeared and stepped into the doorway. "Actually, Kain, you come with us. I've seen you fight before, and you could actually help us."

"Um...yes, sir Hiro!" the soldier picked up his steel lance, and exited the door.

"Um...who are you...and where did you come from?" Raven freaked out when he saw the myrmidon appear out of nowhere.

"I'm Hiro, tactician of the House of Caelin, and recently joined the combined force of Pherae and Ostia..."Hiro said. "I overheard your conversation with Priscilla. Tell me, why is it that you don't want your identity to be known?"

Raven stopped in his tracks. "...I have a grudge against the house of Ostia. Wait, why am I telling you this?"

"I don't know. But please refrain from doing anything stupid. You look like a good person, and it would be a waste of a life to see you go so quickly. Warriors of Ostia aren't easily defeated, you know."

"...I know."

Matthew, Rebecca, and Guy snuck past the enemy forces by hiding in the shadows under Matt's lead, and reached the next treasure room. Rebecca aimed very carefully, and shot at the knight guarding the path into the room. It went through the visor of his helm and impaled his head. The knight soon started falling. Guy and Matthew caught him before he fell to stop him from alerting the other Laus soldiers. However, the knight's hand went limp as his dropped his lance. Guy noticed this and caught it on his foot. The lance was heavy, and balancing it on one foot, while holding onto a giant knight that's about to fall while standing on one leg is no easy feat. Rebecca giggled, and picked the lance up, careful not to let it fall. Matthew and Guy dragged the body inside the room, and laid it to rest on a wall. Matthew then opened the chests to find a Knight Crest, and another Silver Axe. 'Damn,' he thought. 'I'll give this to Eiji later...'

Priscilla, Raven, Kain, Lucius, Hiro, Matt, Guy, and Rebecca arrived at the throne room at the same time. They saw 10 knights standing there, as well as a general standing in front of the throne. "They're here? Hmmmm..." the general raised his eyebrows in surprise; he hadn't expected them to come so quickly, if they could even get there at all. He looked at Hiro. "I am Bernard, Knight Commander of Laus! I would test the might of those who bested Bauker!"

The knights readied their lances, and started attacking. Rebecca readied her new Steel Bow, and aimed it at a knight that was rushing at her, while running backwards. She pulled her string to its maximum elasticity, and fired, making a large dent in the knight's armor, stopping him in his tracks. Rebecca continued strafing and firing as the knight charged at her. After a while, Rebecca finally got a good shot at the knight's head, and took it. It struck true, and the knight fell to the ground.

"Ragh!" Raven yelled, deflecting a lance thrust from an enemy knight to the side. He jumped up, and kicked the knight's shield away, making the knight lose his balance. He then bashed his steel sword onto the knight's thick armor, making a huge dent in it, he continued bashing, not realizing that an enemy knight was sneaking up on him.

"Lord Raven!" Lucius warned the mercenary. "Behind you!"

Raven turned around to see another knight, and smirked. He back flipped over the dazed knight he was pummeling earlier, and let the second knight's lance strike his comrade instead of the mercenary. Raven then dashed out to the side of the first knight. "WINGS OF DARKNESS!" he yelled, as his sword started shaking and trembling, as if possessed by an evil spirit. Raven threw his sword up in the air above the knight, and jumped up after it, dodging a lance thrust from his opponent. He grabbed his sword as it descended, and brought it back over his head. He then struck downwards with great force, and cut through his opponent in the middle, slicing the knight in half.

Matthew and Guy ganged up on another knight. Guy parried the lance thrust, while Matt went behind the knight and slit his throat. They did the same thing will 2 more knights.

Lucius and Erk charged up their electric tomes. "SOARING BOLT!" they both yelled, releasing a thunder spell and lightning spell at the same time. The bolts came down from one place in the sky, but separated into many balls of electricity and electrocuted 2 knights. That just left one more, which Hiro easily sliced into ribbons with an Armor slayer and his Muramasa.

"Leave this place at once! How dare you desecrate the throne of Caelin!" Kain yelled in rage at Bernard.

"What will you do, boy?" Bernard threw his steel axe at Kain, who dodged it by sidestepping. Bernard pulled it back by the chain attached to it and spun it over his head like a morning star, and tossed it at Kain again, who dodged it. 'This one's pretty fast,' the general thought.

'Damn!' Kain thought. 'I can't get close to him!' Hiro then stepped up beside him. "Sir Hiro! I require assistance...GWA!" Kain yelped, as Hiro pushed him away from another toss of the axe from Bernard.

"Hmph..." Hiro grumped. "Kain, come here. I have a plan. I'm going to lure him to strike one of us. He seems to be really dependant on those chains of his. When the axe is stuck in the ground, roll the chain up with your weapon. He'll pull you back with him, and he looks strong enough to win tug of war with us. However, when he does this, he'll have no other method to defend himself. That's when whichever one of us isn't pulling will strike him."

"I got it," Kain nodded, and got his lance ready. Bernard threw his axe at Hiro, who sidestepped it nonchalantly. He rolled the chain attached to the axe, and pulled onto it. Bernard was surprised, and started pulling his weapon back with both hands. "This is my chance!" Kain said to himself. He prepared to jump, as he ran forwards. He stuck his spear in the ground, and pulled back on the stick. He then leapt up like the lance was a catapult, and launched himself high into the air, pulling the lance out of the ground. He twirled his lance around in midair, and straightened him self. He then swung his lance down hard into the general's head. It...didn't have the expected results. It just made a large dent in the general's helmet. "What...what is that armor made of?"

"Hah hah hah! This armor is made of very tough rare metal; adamantium! This is one of the few armors made with this kind of metal, even Lord Darin doesn't have this. You think you can hurt me with that puny attack of yours?" Bernard then pulled Hiro with all his might. The myrmidon went flying towards the general. Bernard pulled a hand back, and formed a fist with it. He then launched it at Hiro, sending the myrmidon flying backwards, and knocking him out. He started spinning his axe again, ready to launch it at Hiro. After he was satisfied, he tossed his lance...only to have it blasted back at him by a very large dark energy ball.

"Oh no you don't!" Mark yelled. Then Florina and Wil came flying in riding on Huey.

Hiro got up, and choked out blood. "Damn...his armor's made out of adamantium..."

"What? You're not serious?" Mark said.

"ERK! LUCIUS! STRIKE HIM WITH YOUR LIGHTNING SPELLS!" Hiro ordered the magic users.

Erk and Lucius started charging their spells, and launched them. "HAH!" Bernard laughed, and took out an iron lance. He then stuck the lance into the ground, and kneeled beside it. The electric spells were drawn by the lance instead of Bernard and went into the ground. "DAMN!" Erk yelled, but got an idea. He looked up to Florina and Wil, hoping they could read his mind. Wil nodded, and whispered to Florina.

Florina divebombed towards the iron lance, as Bernard started getting back up again. Bernard noticed Florina and Wil, and got his axe ready, but Rebecca shot it out of his hand, making him have to bend down to pick it up. When he got up, his iron lance was gone. "Wha...?"He looked up to see Florina, with her hair all raised up; obviously from the leftover current when she picked up the iron lance, which was in her hand.

"ARROW SHOWER!" Rebecca and Wil both yelled at Bernard, who just laughed at their futile attempt as their arrows easily bounced off of his armor like raindrops. The hailstorm of arrows did nothing against the general's armor. The general stopped laughing, to see Erk, Lucius, and Hiro in front of him with fully charged spells. 2 thunder spells and a lightning spell fully charged, to be exact.

"Oh...crap..." Bernard cursed.

"ELECTRO BOLT!" Hiro, Erk, and Lucius yelled, releasing their spells. All three spells came spiraling down on Bernard in one giant heavenly bolt, smiting the general. As it struck the general, there was a flash of bright white light, blinding everyone in the room for a few seconds. After the light subsided, Bernard was just a smoldering pile of ashes, and the armor was gone.

"GRANDFATHER? GRANDFATHER WHERE ARE YOU?" Lyn yelled as she ran into the throne room.

"Lord Hausen? Where are you?" Eliwood called for Marquess Caelin.

"Eliwood. Here, on the throne... It's blood..." Hector pointed at the red substance staining the throne.

"BLOOD? No...It can't be..." Lyn said, as she drop down on her knees.

"Lyndis! Calm down. He might only be injured. Come, let us find him," Eliwood comforted her.

"Yes, you're right. I must be calm. There! Over there! There's someone..." Lyn pointed to the shadows behind the pillar on the right of the throne.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Eliwood ordered. The young female thief from earlier stepped out.

"You...Leila!" Hector greeted the thief, and he and Matthew ran up to greet her.

"You know her?" Eliwood asked his friend.

"Yes, her name's Leila. She... works for Ostia... All right, she's a spy..." Hector confessed.

"Lord Eliwood of Pherae and Lady Lyndis of Caelin, correct? I am Leila. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Lady Lyndis, Marquess Caelin is back there receiving treatment," Leila bowed.

"My grandfather is alive?" Lyn asked the thief hopefully.

"His life is yet his own," Leila replied.

"Ah! Father Sky and Mother Earth! I thank you for your mercy!" Lyn sighed in relief.

"Leila, what are you doing here?" Hector asked his vassal.

"I... I'm following Lord Uther's orders. I'm investigating Marquess Pherae's disappearance," Leila told Hector.

"My father? What have you learned?" Eliwood asked the thief.

"Come with me. We should talk in private," Leila said, motioning for the lords and Matthew to follow her.

"Huh? Come on, Eliwood," Hector called to his friend, who didn't move. "Worrying about things won't change them."

"I know. I'm fine. Let's go!"

"Let me start with my conclusion. Marquess Pherae...is alive," Leila told the lords the good news.

"WHOOO! ELIWOOD!" Hector slapped his friend hard on the back, making the poor red-haired noble fall flat on his face. Eliwood got up.

"That's wonderful!" Lyn said.

"Are you sure?" Eliwood asked Leila, while rubbing his nose, so it sounded kind of like 'arh yoo shure?"

"I've been posing as a member of the Black Fang for several months. That's where I got this information. I believe it is true," Leila told the lords.

"Black Fang... They're the assassin guild that Erik spoke of," Eliwood remembered.

"Yes, we've known of their existence for quite some time. The Black Fang is a guild of assassins founded about ten years ago by Brendan Reed. They're based in Bern. Their arms reached quickly in several other countries. Originally, they targeted only nobles who abused their positions. The masses saw them as chivalrous, defenders of the common man. Their activities found wide support," Leila explained.

"Chivalrous..." Hector commented.

"Then about a year ago, Brendan got married again. Black Fang's operations have slowly changed since then. Now, they'll take on any target, no matter how difficult, as long as they're paid. And they're no longer killing only criminals; anyone is a fair target."

"Is this Black Fang responsible for what's happened to my grandfather?" Lyn asked Leila.

"Yes. We've learned of a mystery man named Nergal, behind Reed's wife. It seems the Black Fang is performing secret tasks across Lycia for Nergal. Nergal's trusted retainer Ephidel is with Marquess Laus. He manipulated Laus into hatching the rebellion plot against Ostia. The first to answer Laus's call for rebellion was... Marquess Santaruz."

"Lord Helman... Why would you..." Eliwood shook his head.

"Next was Lord Elbert, Marquess Pherae."

"You're telling me that my father endorsed this plan?"

"I cannot say. I do know that he is with Marquess Laus currently. In a place called... the Dragon's Gate."

"Dragon's Gate? Where is that?"

"On an isle called Valor, off the southern coast of Lycia. I apologize, but that is all the information I have," Leila said.

"Of all places to be, Valor... Blast!" Hector cursed.

"What kind of place is it?" Lyn asked the big lord.

"It's said that those who step onto the island never return. The common folk call it the Dread Isle. If that's where my father is, however, I will go and find him. And this 'Dragon's Gate,' too!"

"I'm going with you. I'll tell you right now, you can't stop me," Hector told his friend.

"I'm going too," Lyn said.

"Lyndis, I appreciate your kindness, but... Shouldn't you stay with Marquess Caelin?"

"Laus must be stopped. Otherwise, they might target my grandfather again. I also wish to help Eliwood's father. Losing a parent... It's an unbearable pain. It's something I'd rather you didn't have to feel yet."

"Lyndis... Hector... Thank you. You give me strength."

"Don't mention it."

"We're friends, Eliwood. This is what friends do."

"I'm also going to continue searching. Lady Lyndis, I think it would be prudent to let the world think Marquess Caelin is dead," Leila advised.

"I understand. I'll do that. Thank you," Lyn thanked the spy.

"No thanks necessary. If you'll excuse me..." Leila walked away from the lords.

"Leila! Nergal and this... Ephidel? What are they like?" Hector asked the thief.

"I've yet to lay eyes on Nergal. I've spoken to Ephidel on several occassions, however. He's... eerie. He always wears a cloak that covers his face. And yet..."

"What is it?"

"His eyes glow golden... You can't miss them. They seem... inhuman," Leila shuddered, obviously very creeped out by Ephidel.

Leila then walked off to talk to Matthew.

"Matthew. It's been a long time," she greeted the brown haired thief.

"What have you been doing? More dangerous work?" Matthew asked her.

"We're spies, Matthew. Everything we do is dangerous."

"That's true. So how long do you think this mission's going to last?"

"My objective is the same as yours: to rescue Marquess Pherae. If things go well, I'll be in Ostia at the same time as you are."

"Is that so? You need to visit my hometown."

"Is this where you were born? Why?"

"... To meet my parents."

"Hm? Matthew...mmph!" Matthew dashed towards her, embraced her, and kissed her. Then they slowly parted lips.

"Ha ha. Well, that's that! See you," Matthew said as he walked off.

"As slippery as ever... Didn't even wait for my reply."

"Lady Lyndis!" Kain called to the lord.

"Everyone... I'm happy to see you all well. I'm going after Marquess Laus. Protect my grandfather," Lyn told him and the other soldiers.

"Well, actually, milady, I plan on joining you and your group. Also, we found this earlier," Kain told Lyn, and gave her a Light Rune.

"Thank you, Kain. We'll stay here for the night to rest and prepare."

Later that night:

Priscilla went to talk to her brother; to talk to him about things that happened way back. She found him hanging out with Erk and Lucius.

"Lord Brother..." Priscilla called to Raven.

"One sec, guys. Ah, Priscilla..." Raven turned around to see her sister.

"It is I...Might I be with you a moment?"

"...Certainly," Raven looked at Erk and Lucius, who told him to go.

"Thank you," Priscilla replied.

"Something wrong?"

"I...am very happy. To be next to my lord brother like this...I have dreamed often of this day. Um...Lord Brother? ...Do you remember this ring?" Priscilla took a ring out of her robe.

"Hm? What's that?"

"You have forgotten... That is too bad. When I was young...When I was with you in Cornwell... You made a promise to me, brother. You said: When I grew larger, you'd take me as your bride."

"GWA? Yes...but surely...Priscilla," Raven yelped in surprise.

"Yes, I know. It was a child's game. So you said to me as I cried and cried... And then you gave me this ring."

"And...And you still..."

"I am still a child -- So allow me one more childish wish of you. Please, let me stand here, by your side. Don't make me suffer in loneliness again..." Priscilla hugged her brother and started crying.

"...You won't suffer again. We'll make sure of that," Raven said, and looked at his friends. "Lucius, Erk, and I will be there for you. But...Priscilla..."

"Yes, Lord Brother?"

"You...should return to Etruria. You should not stay here any longer."

"What? B-But why?" Priscilla looked at her brother in disbelief. "Please, don't make me leave! Not after I came all this way to see you again..."

"But, there are things I must do. And I don't want you getting involved!"

"Lord Brother! You are not planning something dangerous?"

"... It's nothing you need know of."

"It is something dangerous! Then, now more than ever, I cannot be made to leave! If you are to face danger, then let me face it by your side!"

"You're not listening, Priscilla. You were sent to Etruria for adoption-- You are no longer of House Cornwell. And...I am no longer your brother," Raven said, and walked away.

"Lord Brother! How could...Lord Brother!" Priscilla pleaded, and hung onto Raven.

"Priscilla... I am through speaking with you. I am your brother no longer. Please, return to Etruruia..."

"No, I cannot. No matter what you say... I cannot go home. I cannot bear to be somewhere where you are not! I love you, Lord Brother. I want to be with you, together. I...cannot leave your side."

"I see. You...were always like this, though, weren't you? So gentle at most times, until you got an idea in your head--then you wouldn't budge, no matter what people said..." Raven said, and sighed.

"Yes... I'm afraid I caused you much trouble."

"Priscilla..."

"Brother... Say what you will, I shall not leave. As long as you are here, lord Brother, so, too, must I remain," Priscilla looked Raven in the eye, showing him that she was determined.

Raven slumped down in defeat. "...Understood. You win, Priscilla."

"What...?"

"I planned to get revenge on Ostia for the destruction of House Cornwell. Since I cast aside the name Raymond and took the name Raven, revenge is all I have lived for. But...now, I have given that up. ...It is not right to abandon my little sister. That is all I have to say. Let's be off, Priscilla. You were going to stay by my side, were you not?"

"I...Yes, Lord Brother!"

"And don't you have more important matters to attend to? Like Erk?"

"Um...er...Erk...what...what does he have to do with me?" Priscilla blushed.

"You like him. It's obvious. Look, if you need any help, Lucius and I will be there to help you. If there's a problem..."

"Serra."

"What?"

"The pink haired cleric...she's kind of...competing with me for Erk."

"...Don't worry about it. You'll win. Erk seems to have his heart set on you, as well."

"Is...is that true, Lord Brother?"

"...Yes, Priscilla."

"Then if Serra wants to compete with me for Erk, I'll just have to show him I'm more suitable than that tramp!"

"...excuse me, Priscilla?"

"Um...I'm sorry. It just came out of my mouth..."

'...Lucky Erk,' Raven shook his head, and gave his friend a pitying look. Erk caught it, and gave a 'You ain't seen the best part yet' grin. 'Hmm...Serra, eh?' Raven thought. 'Her personality's not much, but she's not bad to look at either.'

Meanwhile, on the other side of camp:

"Leila's story contradicts your story on a few points, Lucifer..." Kyo pointed out.

"...I didn't want to tell you about the first wife of Brendan Reed. The memories are just too painful to bear," the mercenary replied. "I wanted to alter the story so it wouldn't have anything to do with her. But if you want to hear the true story, listen to me now." Everyone nodded, and started listening intently.

Lucifer sighed. "Sonia, Brendan's late wife did marry him a year ago. However, she started to date him way before then. She had small control over the Fangs, but not too many noticed her until she brought Nergal into the picture. During the time they were dating, I was called by her, and rest of my story is truth."

"Alright, we'll go to bed then," Kyo said, and went to his tent. Fiaa followed, and soon Mark and Hilda did, too. Soon, only Hiro and Lucifer were left.

"...Tell me more about your family. Your sister...Karla...that's her name..." Hiro said.

"Yes. Even as a child she was beautiful. She forsook the art of the sword, but mother made us learn it. Our family, from the mother's side, had a...rather unique tradition. We have a powerful sacred sword in our family. Our family must learn the art of the sword and fight for it to get to wield it...But then we get to the part where my father was forced to give us to the Black Fang. It was stored in the necklace it came out from by our mother, and gave it to Karla to protect her. There are runes on the blue blade of the weapon. No one could read it, except Karla. It was called...Diabolique," Lucifer told Hiro.

"...In the Black Fang, was there an assassin that specializes in the use of smoke bombs?" Hiro asked.

"...Yes. His name was Villa. He has great skill with swords, and can throw daggers and explosives at his enemies with great skill and accuracy..." Lucifer said. "...Why do you ask?"

Hiro told Lucifer about what Villa said.

"Wait, what about my sister?" Kyo walked out of his tent, hearing the name of his sister being mentioned.

Hiro told Kyo what Villa told him as well.

"...These stories fit to well to be a lie, that's for sure..." Lucifer said.

"...It's true. She has to kill me. It's her job, or else she dies..." Hiro murmured.

"Not necessarily. The Fang's rules...can be bent a bit, especially by people with creative minds. There was a rule; as long as you get the job done, you're good, as long as it's under the given time limit. But Villa didn't say anything about a time limit; he just said, as long as she sees you. The mind control they have on her is flawed like that. I bet this was another one of Jonah's sick experiments..." Lucifer clenched his fists. "...Many good men...their corpses...he dug them out of their graves and used them for his experiments...the nerve of that monster..."

"...It's unbelievable that she's part of the Fang..." Kyo commented.

"Well, we'll solve this problem when we get to it. I found out that the best way to solve a problem is by winging it," Hiro commented.

"...I hope you're right..." Kyo said. Neither he nor Lucifer wanted to lose a sister, and Hiro didn't want to lose his lover as well.

Back at the arena:

"Tiring day...10000 G in prize money...that'll last for about a few months..." Karla muttered, as she started to pack up her things at the inn. Then someone knocked on her door. She opened her door to see a girl with long light blonde hair, slightly older than her, and with light green eyes. The girl was wearing a white shirt, with tight white pants and brown boots. She had a white cape with a pink underside on. She had a small bracelet made out of silver. However, she had a golden necklace exactly like Karla's except that instead of a Sapphire, it had Orihalcon, the rarest gem in the world. "...May I help you?"

"...Lady Mitsuna, is it really you?" the girl asked Karla.

"Wha...who are you?" Karla asked the girl.

"Oh...it looks like you don't remember. I'm Elena; one of the girls in your swordsfighting classes! I'm Eiji's cousin! You look well, milady," Elena bowed.

"SHH!" Karla pulled Elena inside the room, looked around to see if anyone else was in the hallway, and slammed the door shut. "Okay. I'm trying to remember. But Elena, please, I have a different identity now. It's Karla."

"But, why milady?"

"..." Karla said nothing, and looked outside the window, and closed it.

"Why are you being...forgive me, milady...so paranoid?"

Karla told Elena her story.

"...That's...quite a story. But at least you've found your loved one..." Elena commented.

"I wasn't finished, my mouth was just dry," Karla said, and continued. After that, she and Elena were crying madly and hugging each other.

"THAT IS THE SADDEST STORY I HAVE EVER HEARD! (wails)" Elena sobbed madly.

"I KNOW! THE WORST PART IS...IT'S TRUE! (wails)" Karla cried as well.

"YOU HAVE MY SIMPATHY, MILADY...(sniff)!"

Later that night...

Karla woke up to a sudden sound. She stood up, and saw that her companion is still asleep. She looked outside the window, and saw nothing. 'That's weird...' she thought. Then she heard it again. It sounded like a...roar. A battle cry. Then...

"THEM BE SOME FINE WOMEN IN THIS TOWN! THE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS OF SWORDS WILL BE OUR PRIZE TONIGHT! HAHAHA!"

'Bandits...' Karla thought, and got her swords ready.

"What's going on, milady..." Elena woke up to the sound of the bandits.

"Bandits are attacking us. I'll go outside and fight them. It's me they're after; I've heard what they said. I can't risk them hurting the people here just because of me..." Karla said, sheathing her Wo Dao and Diabolique.

"Then I shall help you! I am a good swordswoman as well," Elena strapped her sword onto her belt. "Let's go, Lady...Karla."

"And please don't call me that...it sounds weird."

"Of course, Karla."

The two women ran out of the inn, and told the innkeeper of what's going on. Karla and Elena ran outside, and went to greet the bandits. The bandit leader spotted the 2 women, who had their swords unsheathed. "AHAHAHA! These girls want to mess with us! AHAHAHA! They're not so bad to look at...We could make them harem girls later! CAPTURE THEM!" the brigand ordered.

"...Wow...I think there are about 50 of them, at least...and there are 2 of us," Karla remarked, tilting her hip, and stood in a cocky way, as the bandits ran up to them. "Unfair odds, don't you think?"

"You're right, milady. They wouldn't stand a chance," Elena replied, unsheathing her sword. Its blade was made of silver, but the middle was lined with the finest Orihalcon. Its hilt was platinum, with an orihalcon crest in its middle. "The Einhenjar shall purify their dark souls with its light of holiness."

"Elena?"

"Yes?"

"Don't say milady either. Remember, it's just Karla now. And you don't need to talk formally to me now, too, since I'm not exactly a princess now."

"Got it."

The bandits all started coming, but Elena just laughed, and gathered yellow energy all around her sword. It looked like spirits were fusing together into the blade. She aimed the blade at the oncoming bandits. "PHOTON BEAM!" Elena yelled, as her blade launched a powerful beam of white onto the enemy swarm. It pierced through whatever it hit, killing many bandits in a line.

"Sub-Zero Flare!" Karla raised her Diabolique up to the sky, and swung it towards the bandits. She released a cold blast from the tip of the Diabolique, which then hit a bandit. The blast exploded into an explosion of cold, freezing everything in its explosion radius, which included a great number of bandits.

The bandit leader stood speechless. Realizing that his men were getting slaughtered by these 2 girls was just amazingly humiliating. The truth is, they couldn't even get near the girls. So he decided that enough was enough. "ENOUGH, BOYS! RETREAT!" he gave the order, turned tail, and ran.

"Well, that was a good workout..." Elena commented.

"Foolish people..." Karla commented. "Why would they do this...? Isn't there a better way to live life that wouldn't hurt other people?"

END Eliwood and Hector's tale chapter 7

Please R&R!


	23. HectorEliwood 7x: The Port of Badon

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever

For those that reviewed, thank you very much!

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Eliwood's and Hector's Tale Chapter 7 Gaiden: The Port of Badon**

Dread Isle:

"huff...pant..." Ninian and Serene were being bogged down with fatigue. They couldn't swim for much longer. Serene wouldn't fly and leave her friend behind, but she couldn't carry Ninian all the way back to Caelin, or wherever it's safe. Kuro escaped shortly before them, and had left to Caelin to get Lyn's help. They escaped while the assassins were busy with Kuro, but had come to realize that they're not strong enough to make it onto land. Luckily, they found a plank from a sunken boat, so they got on it, and rested there.

Port of Badon:

"Phew...need...rest..." Kuro said to himself, landing in a forest nearby. He had arrived at a port city; that much is obvious, but it didn't matter where he was as long as he could get some rest. He went to the inn, and got himself a room for the night. 'Ninian...Serene...please be safe...'

Next day, a few hours before noon, our crew of heroes arrived at the Port of Badon. Eliwood, Lyn, and Hector walked towards the docks to hire a sailor that would take them to Valor.

"Listen! We need a boat to Valor!" Hector told a sailor.

"You want a boat to the Dread Isle? You're mad! No way! Never! There's no one in this village who'll sail there!" the sailor replied, his eyes filled with terror at the mention of the name.

"Please, we're in a hurry. Can you give us passage?" Lyn pleaded, but the sailor still shook his head.

"If you won't help us, can you take us to someone who will? Please," Eliwood pleaded.

"You must be on urgent business, that's certain...There may be one way..." the sailor hesitated. He's obviously talking to nobles, and he was afraid of what they might do to him if he told them this.

"What is it? Tell us, please!"

"...Pirates..." the sailor slowly said.

"Pirates?"

"Uh-huh. The're fearless, or as close as makes no difference. And they'll go anywere for a fee. Who knows? They might decide to accept your mad offer."

"Pirates... Looks like we've no choice..." Hector sighed.

"Are you serious, Hector? Working with pirates? That's unbelievable!" Lyn said, and looked at Hector in disbelief.

"You're considering it, aren't you, Eliwood?" Hector asked his friend.

"If there's no other way, what else can we do?" Eliwood also sighed.

"You, too, Eliwood? I've misjudged you... It's foolishness to trust the goodwill of pirates! I'm finding another way!" Lyn said angrily, and stormed off.

"Why is she so angry?" Hector asked Eliwood.

"I heard that Lyndis's parents were slain by bandits. Bandits at land, pirates at sea... They're all the same to Lyndis. Lawbreakers and murderers..." Eliwood explained.

"I see... My parents died of illness... But I can appreciate her feelings. Shall we abandon the pirate plan?"

"But..."

"Too bad about the girl, but there's no other way," the sailor said sadly.

"Let's meet the pirates. We can't decide until then," Eliwood suggested.

"That's true..."Hector remarked.

"That inn over there is a known favorite of the local freebooters. They're reckless and unpredictable. Best be prepared..." the sailor warned the lords, and walked off. "Kids these days..." he muttered, shaking his head.

Wil was stringing his bow, and refilling his quiver with new arrows. Then Rebecca walked up to him. "...Wil? Is that really you?" she asked the other archer.

"Huh? Who are you?" Wil looked at her. "Do I know you?"

"Wil! It's me, Rebecca! Dan's sister!" Rebecca told him loudly, hopeful that he'll remember after.

"Oh...yeah..." Wil looked at her. "What is it?"

"Where were you all these years?"

"You know the story...Dan and I left to search for the treasure of Han Gak...we never found it, so we gave up. Dan returned home, but I stayed outside because I needed money; I'm not sure I'll be accepted back home..." Wil sighed.

"Wait, where did you say Dan went?"

"Dan? He went home...he did, right?"

"Dan...never came back either...Wil..." Rebecca started crying. "Do you think...he's...he's..."

"What? No! He's...he's tougher than that...we'll...we'll see him again..." Wil tried to comfort her. "I'm sure of it."

Meanwhile at the bar, a young pirate, with a light blue and white striped shirt and a white bandana choked on his beer. "Arr...someone be talking about me just now...I can feel it..."

A large bearded man was drinking beer in the pub part of the inn; obviously the captain of a band of pirates. He noticed 3 young nobles walking up to him. He turned around to face them, and said, "What do you want, whelps? You're here to see me, aren't you?"

"You're commander of the pirate armada, aren't you?" Eliwood asked him.

"Gwah hah hah! "Commander of the pirate armada!" I like the sound of that! Are you lads that naive? Or are you just dumb? Which is it?" the man laughed.

"You insolent..." Hector raised his fist to punch the pirate.

"Peace, Hector! If I've insulted you, I apologize. How should I address you?" Eliwood asked the big man.

"Hmph... You don't frighten easily, do you? Well, at least it seems you're not stupid. 'Captain' will do, whelp. I'm Fargus, captain of the Davros," the big man told Eliwood.

"Fargus... Master Fargus? Or should i call you Captain?"

"You're not one of my mates. Call me Fargus. Now, what do you want?"

"We want to book passage to Valor."

"How much will you pay?"

"We don't know the current rates. Tell us how much you want."

"100,000 gold."

"Wait, 100,000 gold?"

"Well? Will you pay?"

"We've no choice, but we need a little time. We'll get the gold and return as quickly as possible. Come, Hector," Eliwood called for his friend as he left the inn.

"Wa-Wait a moment! Eliwood!" Hector ran up to the other lord to catch up to him. "Eliwood! Hold on! Where do you think you're going to get 100,000 gold?"

"I'm sure there's an arena here. We can raise gold somehow..."

"What? You're not serious?"

"We've no other way, do we?"

"Well, no. Sometimes you surprise me, Eliwood."

"Did you say something, Hector?"

"No, nothing. Let's go earn some gold!" Hector replied, as they walked back to tell the others.

"The arena, huh? Well, we could use some experience...and extra gold won could also be useful. We only have to win about 100 matches..." Mark commented.

"You make it sound like it's nothing..." Hector said.

"Hmm...Guy, Rebecca, Erk, Raven, Wil, and Florina, you 4 go to the arena with Priscilla, Serra, and Hilda. They'll be there to heal you after you get out," Hiro instructed. "When you're tired, come back here and switch with other people. This way we can do this in about...2 days tops." The aforementioned people left towards the arena.

Just then, a young pirate ran up to the main group, past the arena group, but not before making eye contact with Wil and Rebecca.

"...Was that...brother?" Rebecca turned around to see the pirate's face again.

"...Dan?" Wil turned around to do the same thing.

"Ahoy!" the young pirate called towards the group.

"What now? We don't have the money yet," Hector told him.

"Fool! Of course you don't! I know that. The captain's got a message for you," the young pirate replied.

"A message?"

"All of my mates in this village are going to attack you. If you can beat us all and get to the ship unharmed, he'll give you passage."

"For free? No gold?" Eliwood looked at him wide-eyed.

"The captain's a tad off-kilter. He'd rather have a bit o' fun with you than take your gold. Smooth sailing to you," the pirate said, before walking off.

"Oh, for... This is a joke, isn't it?" Hector asked Eliwood.

"Looks serious enough. Here we go!" Eliwood readied his sword.

"Listen! The captain's waiting at the docks. Talk to him, and you're the winner! Trust me, though... Don't make the mistake of attacking him! You anger the captain, and there's no turning back! Don't forget!" the pirate warned them.

"Maybe we should tell the arena group to go back..." Hiro suggested.

"And ruin their fun? Nah...and we could get extra money from this, you know..." Lucifer commented.

"I couldn't find a ship after all. But we have to get to that island...Looks like I'll have to endure pirates..." Lyn sighed, looking defeated, but then noticed noise in the distance. "Hm? What was that? Commotion in the village?"

"Oh! Lyn! Nice timing. We need your help!" Hector greeted her.

"You're battling the pirates?"

"Fighting and... Look, we have to reach the docks and speak to the captain! This is a test to see whether or not he'll give us passage."

"I don't understand, but... I'm here, so let me help!" Lyn unsheathed her sword.

"Remember, we're not going to kill them. Just knock them out when we come across them," Eliwood reminded Hector.

"I know, I know...sheesh."

"Hannah, time for the augury..." Hiro gave the fortune teller some gold.

"Oh... Oh, my... Things have gotten out of hand, haven't they? Concentrate...Go around... Around is best. You should speak with the locals. You might even meet someone. Don't waste your time with every single house though..." she then snapped out of her trance.

"Around...around what?" Mark commented.

"I think she meant the center. But there are two ways...well, it seems that to our left, the pirates are more abundant. We'll have to split up, though, the other way might have some waiting to ambush us. So, the group that goes left will then go to the other side after clearing their own path, to put the ambushing pirates in a pincer attack," Hiro instructed.

"Good plan. Hiro, Eiji, Fiaa, Lucifer, and I will take the left. Dorcas, Bartre, Kain, Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector, Lady Lyndis, Lucius, and Matt, go to the right," Mark instructed. "Marcus, guard Merlinus, as usual. LET'S GO!"

"Hey, there's a special battle today at the arena. A group of 9 people will go against another group of 9 people. There will be a quarter finals, semi finals, and final round. The quarter finals will begin at noon...That's 15 more minutes! And the prizes: 3rd place: 30000 G, 2nd place: 80000 G, and 1st place: 13000 G! We should do this!" Guy suggested. "We have 6 people able to fight, and 3 healers; enough to keep everyone alive for all 3 rounds. What about it, guys?"

"It's a good idea. Let's sign up," Hilda agreed.

Quarter finals 1: Raven's Group vs. K's group:

"...They're all mages..." Erk commented.

"Erk, I think you can take them. You'll be our magical wall. Florina, you and Wil fly and snipe them from the air; Rebecca, snipe from the ground; Guy and Raven, get as close as possible to them, strike, and retreat; you don't want to be burnt. Priscilla I want you to back Erk, Raven, and Guy up, since they'll be in the frontlines, and we'll need someone that can get in and out of range quickly," Hilda instructed. "And that's our plan. Let's go."

"AND THEY'RE OFF!" The announcer yelled.

Erk, Raven, and Guy started dashing towards the enemy mages. The mages all laughed, and started to fire a barrage of fire spells. Raven and Guy jumped to the side to avoid them, and Erk chanted his lightning spell to overdrive to summon a lightning barrage, destroying the fireballs, and striking 3 mages that are in his opponent's team's front lines. "Wil! Florina! Do it!" Erk called to them.

Wil and Florina rose up high, and Florina started to dive towards an enemy mage. The mage attempted to disarm Florina by casting fire at her lance, but she was already going down too fast, and the fire was instead absorbed by the lance, making it burn. Florina threw the burnt lance at the mage, impaling him. As they ascended again, Wil shot 2 mages in the head. Rebecca shot down another 2 more. "One to go," she smirked.

The other mage looked around, sweatdropping. 'Well, if you wanna do it right, you gotta do it yourself...' he sighed, seeing that his companions were all dead. 'Stupid useless mercenaries.' "Oh well...looks like it's time for... GUILDING RING!" he put on a Guilding Ring on his left ring finger, and held his hand up high in a fist. Raven and Guy were already jumping at him, but were blasted back by the lightning that hits a person when he/she promotes classes.

"...Crap..." Guy cursed. After the transformation was done, K was now a sage.

"SCORCHING HELL!" the sage yelled, launching a wave of fire towards Guy and Raven, the closest two of his opponents nearby.

"Yeouch!" Raven managed to dodge most of the wave in time, but some of it caught him on his butt. "IT BURNS! BLOW IT OUT! BLOW IT OUT! ANYONE GOT WATER!"

"It's okay, Raven, it's okay! STOP, DROP, AND ROLL!" Hilda pushed Raven down onto the ground, and rolled him like a human sushi, and covering him in dirt.

"MY PANTS!" he looked around to see that his butt was showing. "Crap."

"Looks like you'll have to sit this one out," Hilda said. Serra laughed at the poor mercenary.

"DIE!" Erk charged up his fire tome, and so did K. They both released scorching hells at once, and the forces collided, making a giant mountain of fire in the middle of the arena. Rebecca took this time to aim carefully, and fired at the sage. The sage, however, saw it, and created a fire wall to block the arrow, and launched a fire spell at Rebecca. Rebecca was sent flying backwards at the impact. K readied another charged fire spell, and launched a gigantic fireball at Rebecca. Rebecca was too stunned to dodge it from the first fireball. Guy got in front of it, and put his sword out to slice the fireball in two.

"Sword of Gale!" Guy yelled, and disappeared into thin air. Slicing sounds can be heard as his Killing Edge cut through K's skin, and wounds started showing up on the sage. Soon, the sage fell down, dead. "Phew..."

"...Thanks Guy, you saved me...again," Rebecca hugged him.

"Um...er...um...just doing my job..." Guy stuttered.

Back outside, a shaman with black and blue robes walked out of his house and walked towards Hiro. "Pardon me! I was speaking with an old sailor a few moments ago. He told me that you're planning to travel to Valor."

"That's right; what do you want?" Hiro asked the shaman.

"In that case, would you mind if I joined you? My name is Canas. I'm a scholar of sorts... I've been seeking passage to Valor, but none will take me. My proposal probably sounds somewhat selfish, no?" the shaman asked Hiro

"...not at all. Welcome aboard. However, did the old sailor tell you that we're in a contest with these pirates? They're giving us quite the workout..." Hiro complained.

"I can help in combat. I've some skill with a form of elder magic... Some call it dark magic, a rather biased term, if I must be blunt. But at the very least, I can take care of myself, and perhaps others," Canas told Hiro.

"All right then. Welcome to Eliwood's Elite, Canas," Hiro said, shaking the shaman's hand. "I'm Hiro, one of this group's tacticians. I'll introduce you to the others later. For now, just follow me."

About 2 hours later: Finals: Raven's group versus Josh's group:

"There's a more balanced team. An archer, 2 fighters, 3 cavaliers, 2 mercenaries, and a knight..." Raven commented. He had had the healers and Rebecca buy him a new pair of pants; a pair of black pants replaced his old blue ones. Serra's decision, of course. They had to drag her out of the store before she'd spend all their gold on clothes.

"This looks easy enough; there are 3 healers in their team!" the knight, Josh, said to his team. "Chris, go kill them first," he ordered the archer.

"...I don't think that's wise. The mage is obviously much more of a threat. None of us can use magic, and we'll be dead after the casting of one spell," Chris replied.

"Whatever. Do as I say, because I paid you to do it."

"Then you don't have to pay me. I'm just concerned about our safety here."

"Little son of a..."

"BEGIN!" the announcer yelled.

"Saved by the bell...but don't think that this is over..." Josh growled at Chris.

"...Of course not," the archer replied.

The archer started to load her Long Bow, and aimed at Erk.

"ERK!" Florina warned the mage in time, and Erk was able to duck the incoming projectile. "Let's go, Wil!" Wil and Florina took off into the air, and Wil started to shoot at the fighters, and Florina flew around dodging hand axes and javelins thrown at them. This group was much better than the last; they were better coordinated, and they had better reaction time. It was a lot harder hitting them.

"Arrow Shower!" Wil and Rebecca yelled, sending down a hailstorm of arrows down on them. The fighters got their heads nailed, while the mercenaries put their swords over their heads to block the arrows. The cavaliers rode out of the range of the attack. The archer rode on one of the cavaliers, and escaped as well. The knight twirled his steel lance above his head and spun it around to repel the falling arrows. "Damn!" Wil cursed; the effect was far less than what he expected.

"THUNDERSTORM!" Erk finished charging up his thunder tome to overdrive, and launched his spell towards the enemy. The cavaliers and the archer did the same thing they did last time. However, the mercenaries weren't so lucky, and were electrocuted by the attack. The knight stuck his lance into the ground, and left it so that it would act as a lightning rod.

"We're losing men fast!" one of the cavaliers said. Raven and Guy got him in a pincer attack, and sliced him down to pieces.

"I know! Grr...take this!" Chris yelled. "RAPID FIRE!" Chris just fired blindly into the enemy crowd. Raven and Guy twirled their swords around in front of them to repel the arrows, but Raven got nicked by a few on his side. The others took cover behind the swordsmen. Erk got scraped by a few on his sides before he managed to set up a wall of fire to incinerate the arrows coming his way. Everyone was pretty much safe, except for Priscilla, who was high up on a horse. "AND THIS! SPLITING ARROW!" Chris put a different kind of arrow onto the bow, and fired. As soon as the arrow was released, it split into two; one went towards Priscilla, and another towards Serra, who was healing Raven; as the mercenary was wounded by arrows from the archer's rapid fire earlier.

Erk was right in the middle. He could jump towards one of them, and save them, but the other will die. 'GAH! I CAN'T DECIDE!...but it's my job to protect Priscilla, so I can't let her down,' he thought. Priscilla put up her staff instinctively to protect herself, but it was in a position far from the target of the arrow; her heart. Erk instinctively jumped up to take the blow. The arrow pierced through his left gut, and he fell.

Serra, however, was saved from the arrow by Raven, who shook her off of him, and blocked the arrow with his sword. He then noticed that Erk was down. "ERK! HOLY SH1T!" He saw Priscilla crouch down and try to wake him up. She waved her heal staff over him madly, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

"DAMN!" Guy sliced down another cavalier. Florina impaled the cavalier Chris was hitching a ride on, and Chris jumped off the horse to join the knight.

"...Quite the drama queens and kings, aren't they?" the knight asked the archer. "They lose only one man; everyone there cries."

"They're only kids, after all," Chris replied. "Let's finish them off now, while they're weak. ORION'S BOLT!"

"KNIGHT CREST!"

Raven and his group turned around to see a sniper and a general standing before them. "Oh...fuck," he cursed. "Damn it! The only chance we had in beating the knight was Erk's fire magic! Now that armor's harder to take down! And the archer's now stronger! Damn it! Ladies, how's the healing going?"

"Not good, I'm afraid," Hilda shook her head, while still applying healing magic over Erk. "He's losing too much blood. We're losing him!"

"ERK! NO!...This is my fault...if...if I hadn't been so careless..." Priscilla started crying.

"Maintain your focus, girl!" Hilda scolded the troubadour. "We need to focus if we're going to save Erk!"

"ERGH!" Guy grunted; Chris hit his leg with an arrow, and Guy can't move. "...Damn it..."

"Say goodbye, pest," Chris said, smirking, and aimed at Guy.

"I guess it's time to use them," Wil said, taking an Orion's Bolt and Elysian Whip out of his shirt. "Let's do it!" He handed the whip to Florina. "ORION'S BOLT!"

"ELYSIAN WHIP!"

Wil's small bow had increased in size to a much bigger and more intimidating weapon; he had a larger quiver on him, and his teal shirt is now a jacket. Florina had intricate patterns on her armor now, and the armor itself is now slightly harder and heavier. Huey also received blue armor. "Huey! Save Guy!" Florina commanded. Huey dived down and Wil held out his hand to grab Guy by his braid. As Chris shot his arrow, Wil grabbed Guy's hair and pulled the myrmidon out of the range of the shot and Chris.

"MY HAIR!" Guy yelled in pain. "IT HURTS MY HEAD!"

"Oh, hush, we just saved your life," Wil smiled, and offered his hand.

"Thank you," Guy said, accepting it.

"ERK!" Priscilla started crying. Serra did too.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Serra pointed at Priscilla. "If...if you...if you never existed...ERKY WOULDN'T HAVE TO DIE!"

"ENOUGH!" Hilda yelled. "You two have been like this for almost 10 minutes! We need to focus!"

"He's losing too much blood!" Priscilla could feel some of his blood seeping onto her robes, as she was on his left side.

Raven was having a tough time blocking the arrows and Javelins thrown at the group. He was grazed by a few of them, but he was tough enough to handle them. 'Damn...they're so much stronger now!' he thought. Just then, Chris was shot in the head by Wil from the sky. Florina and Wil soon landed behind the mercenary. Raven just managed to guard a Javelin aimed at his head. However, it pierced his sword, and it almost went into his head had he not thrown his steel sword aside. '...He's incredibly strong! How are we supposed to beat him now?'

Wil ran up to the general, and strafed around him, firing madly at the giant. However, the arrows just seemed to bounce off the thick white red armor. Josh grinned, and tossed his lance at Wil. Wil dodged it, but the general then took this chance to run up to Wil and grab the sniper by the neck, and slam him into the ground with a choke slam, knocking the archer out. Josh was about to impale Wil, but Florina intervened, by ramming the general with her steel lance, sending him backwards. She then grabbed Wil, and flew out of range again. She dropped Wil behind the group, and started to attack the general by hit and run techniques. She was doing a good job of distracting the general. Slowly and steadily, she's tiring out the big man and weakening his armor. However, Huey is getting tired, as well. "Come on, Huey, please hold on for a little longer..."

"ERK! PLEASE WAKE UP! (Wails)" Priscilla laid her head over Erk's heart. She noticed that the rhythm of the mage's heartbeat has become very slow. "Oh...Erk...If...if you're going to die here...then at least...let me do this..." Priscilla crawled up beside his head, and gave the mage a deep kiss, sort of expecting him to wake up from this. Serra fumed, and was about to jump on the troubadour, but stopped short when Hilda gave her a glare.

"DAMN IT! ERK! COME ON!" Hilda yelled. The mage still isn't waking up. "WE TRIED EVERYTHING!"

"...Not everything..." Guy realized. "You remember, that when a person promotes, his/ her abilities are raised significantly? But also, more importantly, it replenishes their health? Maybe, if we use a guilding ring on Erk, he can gain some vitality back; and enough consciousness so that you 3 can heal him!"

"...One problem," Hilda pointed out. "He has to be able to say the name of the item or it won't work."

"We'll try it anyways," Priscilla said; her robes are now very bloody. "Here, give me the ring." Hilda tossed her a guilding ring that Matt found earlier. "Come on, Erk...please...we need you here...we need you alive...brother needs you...Lucius needs you...even Serra needs you...but...but...I need you most..." Priscilla sobbed, as she put the ring in the mage's hands. "Just...just say it...Erk...please wake up..." Tears slid down her cheek and rained down on Erk's face.

"...g...guilding...ring..." came a hoarse whisper from the mage, awakened by the tears of Priscilla. Then, lightning struck the mage, blasting the healers around him away. After the flash subsided, where the bloodied body of Erk was, stood a sage. Erk had a longer red cloak now; and the sides were lined with gold. His bloodied dark blue shirt was fixed, and now is turned into a jacket, and under it was a white undershirt. The mage also looked taller now. The wound was apparently still there, however, as blood still continued to ooze down the sage's clothes. "Damn, and this is new, too," he complained.

"ERK! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Priscilla glomped him and started to smooch him like mad. Then she snapped back to reality and healed his wound.

"...Thank you, Lady Priscilla. If not for you...and the others, I would have died," Erk said. Then he hugged her, and whispered into her ear. "But mostly you, milady." Erk then walked in the direction of Raven, who was getting really tired from repelling javelins thrown at him.

"pant...pant...huff...huff...DAMN!" Raven yelled, as he barely repelled a javelin thrown at his gut. "HOW MANY OF THOSE THINGS DOES HE HAVE?"

"Need help?" Erk walked up beside Raven and took out a fire tome.

"About damn time!" Raven complained. "Got something that can beat him? His armor is impenetrable...and all lightning attacks will be repelled by that accursed lance of his! I don't think fire will be able to do anything either!"

"Which is why I've come up with a solution," Erk said, dodging a javelin. "You run up to him, while I distract him with my magic. Perform your wings of darkness attack. I'll take it from there."

"...All right then," Raven nodded, and dashed at the general. The general smirked, and threw a lance at the mercenary. However, the javelin was burnt up by a fireball. This happened about 3 times until Raven was close enough to perform his attack. "WINGS OF DARKNESS!" His sword started to tremble and shake, and soon enough, lifted itself up. Raven threw his sword into the air above the general, and he jumped after it. Erk saw it, and enchanted the sword with his fire tome. The blade of the sword is now burning hot. '...I see now,' Raven thought. 'Clever trick, Erk.' He grabbed the hilt of the sword, brought the weapon back over his head, and swung down hard. He fell down, and sliced the general down the middle using the burning hot blade, melting the armor easily and burning the general's flesh as it went down the middle. "That...was...hard..." Raven panted, and finally fatigue took over him. The mercenary fainted.

Back outside, a paladin and some cavaliers appeared from the left side. Hiro's group has met up with Eliwood's group, and they have almost reached the docks. However, the paladin and his group intercepted them.

"What an interesting diversion. Maybe we should join in. Lord Eliwood of Pherae... You don't yet know to fear the Black Fang. Start grieving...for I will teach you that fear," the paladin said. "I am Damian. I will be the one to defeat you."

"...he talks big," Kyo commented and dived down on the paladin, chasing him away from his men so the paladin would have to fight Kyo one on one. As Damian was being led away from his group, Eliwood's Elite made short work of them.

"INSOLENT KNAVE!" Damian yelled, and charged at Kyo with his silver lance. Kyo flew up, dodging the powerful weapon. Damian ran at Kyo again, and Kyo dodged again. Then Kyo dived towards Damian with his Ragnarok out. Damian 's lance clashed with the legendary sword, and the impact sent the two fighters flying back from the backlash of the impact. Kyo, however, recovered faster, and flew away again. Then he ordered Noah to divebomb towards the paladin. "Heh heh heh...You die now!" Damian yelled, throwing his lance at the divebombing Kyo.

"MOVE, NOAH!" Kyo tilted to his left, pulling Noah with him, and dodged the lance. He brandished his Ragnarok again, and sliced the paladin's head off at the bottom of the dive.

The group finally reached Fargus, who was smoking on a cigarette. "Aha! You made it, whelps!" Fargus greeted the lords, who were panting very hard.

"That...was...hard..." Hector collapsed.

"Haa... haa... You'll give us passage now, wont' you?" Eliwood asked Fargus.

"I'm a man of the sea. I always keep my word," Fargus nodded. He turned to look at the third lord; he didn't see Lyn earlier when Eliwood and Hector asked for passage to Valor. "Are my old eyes lyin' to me? Is this beauty really with you? Gwaa ha ha ha! My lucky day!" Lyn just stood there, silent, but she clenched her fists.

"Listen, I know how you feel, but you have to accept it. We've no other choice!" Hector patted Lyn's back.

"I know that! I haven't said a word, have I?" Lyn snapped.

"We can go to the Dread Isle now. Please, Father...be well..." Eliwood sighed, looking towards the sea. "So can we leave tomorrow morning?" Eliwood asked Fargus.

"Of course, boy," Fargus nodded. "You better stock up on supplies and get some rest, though; it'll be hard to get any sleep on a boat if you've never been on one."

The arena group walked towards the inn to get some rest. They gave the lords the gold they won. The army was surprised that 3 of them have been promoted.

"...you know...you didn't really need to go there; we already have passage," Hiro told them.

"What are you talking about? Even if you did get passage, without it, I would never have scored!" Erk told Hiro, and then pointed at Priscilla. The troubadour is giggling with the rest of the girls, except Serra, who looked absolutely pissed.

"...Might wanna stay away from Serra now..." Hiro warned.

Fargus and his pirates were drinking at the pub. "ARR! Dart, we be leaving tomorrow! Tell yer mates that!" he told the young pirate from before. "And tell the lords to wake up early in the morning; sea's calmer then, according to the fortune teller."

"Aye aye, cap'n!" Dart saluted, and left towards the lords.

Wil, Guy, Rebecca, and Florina were chatting when they saw. Dart go up the stairs. "Oh my God...it IS Dan!" Rebecca ran up to Dart and glomped him. "BROTHER!"

"Dan? Is...is it really you?" Wil hugged Dart too.

'Hmm...this is good and bad,' he thought. 'On one hand, this...homo is hugging me. That be bad. Then on the other hand, this bountiful lass is holding me! This be good. But she be thinkin' I'm her brother! That be bad...but, whatever.' He mentally shrugged, and groped Rebecca's behind.

"EEK!" Rebecca yelled and jumped off. "BROTHER! WHAT..."

"Ye be a fine lass..." Dart grinned. Rebecca slapped him in the face. "OOF!"

"Brother...what's happened to you...don't you remember us? Your sister? Your best friend?"

"...I have a sister?"

"YES! ME!"

"...Can't say I remember," Dart said. "Now if you'll excuse me..." he walked off.

"That's definitely Dan," Wil said. "He looks and sounds the same as Dan."

"...He lost his memory, perhaps?" Florina suggested.

"...I guess...Florina, let's go...I'm tired," Wil carried Florina to their room.

"I've...I...I was violated...by...by my own brother..." Rebecca just stood there in shock.

"Well, worrying about it now won't help you. You should go to sleep. We're leaving early tomorrow, you know," Guy told her, as he headed towards the stairs which led to the roof.

"Guy, remember that...when you're going to look up at the stars...that you'll let me come with you?" Rebecca asked him.

"Uh...yeah...that's right...you want to come now?" Guy turned red as the archer nodded. They walked out the passage, and sat on the roof of the inn. "...It's beautiful..."

"Yeah..." Rebecca nodded. The next few minutes were spent in silence.

Guy blushed when she then rested her head on his shoulder. He turned to look at her, but found out that she was asleep. "(sigh)...well, time to go to bed..." he said to himself, and brought Rebecca to her room. He looked at the guest list, to find that he had been assigned to her room, undoubtedly by Matthew. 'Damn bastard just loves making me suffer, doesn't he?' Guy thought. Guy then opened the door to his room. There was only a bed. "I'll only say this...I hate you, Matthew..."

Hiro decided to sleep on the roofs that night, so he saw Guy and Rebecca, but decided that he shouldn't interrupt their moment. He laid his back down on the roof. "Sigh...Mitsuna...please come back to me...where are you?" Hiro mumbled, and finally slept on the roof.

End Eliwood's and Hector's tale chapter 7 gaiden.

Please R&R!


	24. HectorEliwood 8: Pirate Ship

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever.

Well, dang. Summer's almost over. I'm gonna try to work on this story as much as I can until it is, but when school's back, I'll probably only update on weekends, and maybe, if I have time, I'll do some on weekdays. We'll see. Also, I'm going to make a side story about Erk, Serra, Priscilla, Raven, Lucius, Lute (FE8; in my universe, FE7 and 8 are in the same timeline; just different continents), Pent, and Louise. Mostly about why Erk is sadistic. Well, most of that influence came from the bad guy of this side story, and Pent. The working title is "The Boy who Burned Stuff," but if you guys can think of something Harry-Potterish, let me know. It will, obviously, have elements from Harry Potter, and not so obviously Love Hina. Cuz I just finished Love Hina, and finished reading the 6th HP recently. The focus of the story, is, obviously, Erk (back then, Voldemort-ish personality; not so much the cynical mage we all know and love). And Raven joins a gang.

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Eliwood's and Hector's Tale Chapter 8: PIRATE SHIP**

It was late at night. A hunchbacked druid clad in black, red, and golden robes walked towards the Ostia arena with a group of men behind him. The men all looked the same; they had the same build, the same hair color, eyes, and everything else. Their eyes were also blank. "Come, morphs. We have a mission to do," the druid said with a slight hint of malice in his voice.

He and the morph broke down the arena gates, as the arena was closed at night. A simple Flux spell, and boom. They walked in slowly. Arena guards, and people staying there woke up to the sound, and so did the owner. "Wha's going on?" the arena's owner, a large berserker, asked one of his guards. The guard just shrugged and ran towards the source of the noise.

When the berserker finally reached the gates, he found morphs and most of his guards, dead and lifeless, on the ground in front of him. "Who...why?" he looked around in rage.

"I did. And I did it simply because I need a place for my experiments," the druid told the berserker as he walked out of the shadows. "You're probably thinking, 'Why didn't you just ask?' Well, the explanation would be far too long, and I doubt you would let me anyways, because these experiments are rather...vile."

"BASTARD!" the berserker yelled, rising his killer axe to strike down the druid.

"Fool. So long," the druid said, smirking. "FENRIR!" A dark aura enveloped the battle area of the druid and the berserker. 6 giant balls of black and purple flame appeared, and then sent themselves straight at the berserker, and exploded on impact. After the smoke cleared, all that was left of the big man were his axe and his helmet.

"Good work, Jonah," Ephidel said, coming out of the shadows. "I assume this place will fit your needs. I do wonder, however ... why here of all places? I mean, this doesn't fit your style..."

"The crystal ball tells me that this will be the place where all 7 Necklaces of the Divine Dragons will be gathered. That is when I put my master's plan into effect. I hope you're still on my side; and that you won't tell your master about this. If you do, the humanity Lord Alveen is supposed to give you will be given to another morph," Jonah said, looking at the morph.

"Yes, yes, I know. I should be getting back to Darin...the idiot might accidentally kill himself, thus ruining our plans. Don't forget to do the legalizing paperwork," Ephidel reminded the druid. Then he threw his hair back and teleported away. "I wouldn't want you to mess this up for me either. Your first chance in this world a few years back should have given Lord Alveen something to think about before bringing you back."

Continent of Magvel:

"So you're saying...you've met him?" a purple haired mage asked Ian. The young myrmidon shook his head.

"I said I heard of him, I didn't say I know him. My friend said he worked with a young man named Lucius in helping settle an inheritance dispute; he said the monk works for the Elimine church now," Ian explained. "Do you know him, Lute?"

"Um...yes. I want to see him, but seeing that only your friend knows where he is...I'll just leave the matter at that; I don't want to disturb him," the mage said, disappointed. She went back inside her tent, and took out a small portrait out of her satchel. The picture had a purple haired mage, labeled brother, a pink haired cleric, a red haired troubadour, with her brother, a red haired mercenary, a blonde, long haired monk, and herself. She didn't know who most of these people were. Only the monk was labeled; the name Lucius was written on it. On the back, it had the signatures; all undecipherable by even the prodigy herself. Also, there was something written in the middle of the back of the picture. It said, 'Friends Forever'. And in the corner, it said, Amhaldum Academy, Etruria, Elibe. This was the only clue to the young prodigy's past life.

Morning the next day:

"Kuro!" Hiro called the lord as he walked down the stairs. "What are you doing here? Where are Serene and the siblings?"

"HIRO!" Kuro ran towards the myrmidon and grabbed him by the neck. "I need help, man! They...we...we were captured by this man called Nergal! He had another hostage with him; a red-haired noble called Lord Elbert! I managed to escape, to go find reinforcements to help me recover them!"

"ELBERT?" Eliwood jumped at the sound of his father's name. "TELL ME! WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS MY FATHER?" the lord grabbed Kuro's neck, making the young dragon drop Hiro.

"Dread Isle," Lucifer answered, after drinking a sip of his cup of coffee. "There's no doubt about it. That's where Nergal is."

"Th...that's right," Kuro replied.

"Well, you're in luck," Hiro told Kuro. "We're leaving on a boat towards Dread Isle today. You can come with us. Just one question. Why does Nergal want you and your friends? I can understand him wanting to kidnap Lord Elbert, an important political figure, but why you four?"

"...Those reasons I can't disclose to you right now, unfortunately," Kuro told the myrmidon. "I'll tell you in due time; our identity...it's best that you don't know it now."

"Well, it won't matter anyways, for now," Hiro thought out loud. "Best get our things ready; we don't want to make Fargus wait. I'll brief you on what has happened so far after we set sail. And Kuro?"

"Yeah?"

"The wings. Hide them; you're freaking everyone out."

"Oh...right," Kuro blushed slightly, and hid his wings under his cape.

"Kuro. It's great to see you again," Odin greeted the lord with the rest of Lyndis's Legion.

"Yeah...and thanks for helping me," Kuro replied with a smile.

"It'll be like old times, Erky!" Serra hugged Erk forcefully; the sage was snogging with Priscilla and was still holding on to the troubadour. Now the two girls are in a human tug-o-war.

"...help...me..." pleaded the sage, looking at Raven, Lucius, Matt, Guy, Rebecca, Kuro, and Hiro. Each of them didn't seem to have any motivation to get in the war of love. Sure, Priscilla had won in the arena, but that didn't stop Serra from trying.

'You may have won the battle, but you haven't won the war,' Serra thought evilly while pulling Erk forcefully towards her. Soon, you can hear the sound of ripping; the girls had pulled off Erk's sleeves.

'Dear Elimine; two girls are great, but only in catfights and threesomes...' Erk thought as he was still getting pulled; by his arms, this time.

An hour later, the group was aboard the Davros; Fargus's ship.

"Ahoy, laddie! You don't get seasick, do you?" Fargus greeted Eliwood.

"I'm fine, sir. This is a beautiful ship," Eliwood commented.

"Gwaa ha ha! For a sea rover, eh?"

"May I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" Fargus looked curiously at the lordling.

"Why did you agree to give us passage? When we said that we wished to travel to Valor, the people in the harbor treated us as though we were mad," Eliwood asked the bearded berserker.

"I'm sure they did. It is the Dread Isle, after all. If not for good reason, we wouldn't want to go either," Fargus said, looking out onto the ocean, and rested his hand on the railings on the side of the boat.

"And yet... you've given us free passage. Why is that?"

"Listen to me, laddie. Men are strange beasts. We can't resist a challenge. Something appears on the horizon, and we immediately set sail. Some dreams we conquer, others we abandon," Fargus told Eliwood, and he sighed. "...I've grown old. I haven't had a good challenge in many a year. Then you mooncalves appear seeking passage to the Dread Isle. I was impressed with your courage. I think you may be the ones to survive the Dread Isle."

"We won't disappoint you. We will return."

"All right. Then we'll weigh anchor and wait for you. Light a signal fire when you want to return, and we'll pick you up," Fargus instructed.

"Thank you," Eliwood bowed. Just then, the young pirate from before walked up to Fargus.

"Captain! There's a log adrift to port! It looks like there're people aboard. What're your orders?" the pirate told Fargus.

"Bring 'em aboard. Looks like we've got a visitor. Odd though, finding a boat adrift near here..." Fargus mused.

"Odd? Why is that?" Eliwood asked Fargus, curious.

"The sea currents in this area... Anything drifting around here must've come from the Dread Isle," Fargus explained.

"From Dread Isle?" Kuro just happened to be nearby and heard Fargus's statement. Fargus nodded. "Oh...shit..." Kuro cursed. "Where's the log being picked up?" Erk asked him. Fargus pointed towards the place, and Kuro dashed there at top speed.

"Well...Shall we greet our guest?" Fargus asked Eliwood, but without waiting for Eliwood's reply, he walked off.

"Eliwood! You done talking to old man Fargus?" Hector asked Eliwood, as Eliwood walked down to the place where they brought the log up.

"You saw us?"

"No, I heard you'd gone off with him. You learn anything?"

"...We can trust him. We got lucky, finding him," Eliwood told Hector in an approving tone.

"Hmmm. If you say so."

"Hey, you two! Come here! They've pulled the dory aboard! I wonder who's on board. They...they're girls!" Lyn exclaimed.

"...Uh...uhnn... Oy! You there!" the young pirate called to Lyn.

"Me?"

"Give me a hand, will you? I don't know where to... grab her."

"Such the gentleman," Hector commented.

"Stow it," returned the pirate.

"Ninian! Serene! Wake up!" Kuro, however, already kneeled beside the fainted girls and shook them.

"Unbelievable...what are the chances?" Eliwood thought out loud.

"You know them?" Hector asked his friend.

"Ninian's how Lyn and I met a year back. I rescued Ninian from a band of villains. Then Serene I met when Lyn asked me for help in her inheritance dispute," Eliwood explained.

"Please Ninian, wake up!" Kuro pleaded. Ninian stirred, and groaned. "Ninian, please, open your eyes!" Kuro pleaded again, and Ninian's eyes slowly opened. "Are you well? Why were you and Serene on that boat? Where is Nils? Why wasn't he with you? ...Ninian?" Kuro asked again, because Ninian made no reply.

"Who...who..." Ninian just said very softly.

Suddenly, the young pirate called to Fargus again. "Captain! Pirate ships approaching from the northwest!"

"Do they dare attack Captain Fargus and the Davros? They must be mad!" Fargus commented.

"What flag are they flying? I've never seen that pattern before."

"These seas belong to us! Whoever they are, they're in our waters! This is a day for strange occurences, it seems. You whelps watch you own hides. We've no time to waste on you!"

However, a noise came from below deck. "Uwaaaaaaaaaaa! Water! The hull's been breached! We're taking on water!"

"Breached? Those scum are more dangerous than I'd thought!" Fargus commented.

"It's bad, Captain! We need all hands below decks, or we'll sink!" the pirate from below called, as he ran up to the deck.

"Take care of it! I'm going to carve these scallywags some new gizzards!"

"We need your help! The water's up to the galley! You must come below, Captain!"

"Fargus! Leave the enemy to us!" Eliwood told Fargus.

"Fighting is something we're good at! But a sinking ship? That's your affair! You have to do something, or we'll all drown!" Hector told Fargus.

"We'll deal with things up here. Please! Hurry!" Lyn pleaded.

"Fine! The deck is yours! I'll be back as soon as we've plugged the breach in the hull!" Fargus yelled back, as he ran below deck with the rest of the pirates.

"Hannah!" Mark called to the fortune teller, and handed her his gold.

"Stay... still. Choose your ground, and fight where you stand. Danger for...knigths... Armorslayers to the east, magic to the west. ...Heh heh heh. You'll understand when the fighting starts. Pegasus knights... yes. It couldn't hurt to have thieves along, either..." Hannah advised, and then she snapped out of her trance.

"Hiro, I'll take care of Ninian and Serene...sorry I can't help you in this fight," Kuro told the myrmidon, as he picked up the two girls and carried them to a safe room. Hiro saluted the lord, and went to help prepare for the battle.

"Kyo, Fiaa, Lucifer, Florina, Wil, Rebecca, Guy, and Matt. You will go west to take care of the magic users, but only after we give the order. Dorcas, Bartre, Lucius, Raven, Erk, Priscilla, Serra, Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector, Lady Lyndis, and the cavaliers will go right. I'll go with Mark and Hiro to the west as well. Eiji and Oswin, try not to move to much or you'll...break through the floor or something. Just be careful. Marcus, same goes to you," Hilda instructed. "THEY'RE COMING!" she yelped, noticing that the enemy ships have put hooks on the side of the Davros, and some have put planks on the railings. Then enemy units started moving across those planks and ropes to attack the group.

"GO!" Mark commanded, and the group started taking down the enemy. The enemy's numbers were huge, that's for sure, but they were diminishing, slowly but surely. "Okay, now move!" Mark ordered, and the groups started going their separate parts.

"...Those knights! They have horseslayers! Our horses won't cross these planks!" Sain told the rest of his group. "There's no way we can cross this!"

"Then we'll make a way!" Dorcas yelled, and readied his hammer. Raven readied his armor slayer, and Bartre also readied a hammer. They dashed towards the knights blocking passage on the planks, and struck hard on the knights' chest armor, breaking them off. The fighters each took a steel axe out of their resting places on the fighters' belts, and cut through their opponents' chest. Raven took out a new Steel Sword, and stabbed his knight. "LET'S GO!" Dorcas called to the rest of the group, as they walked across the plank and onto the east ship.

"Uh..." Serene stirred in the room. "Who...where..."

"SERENE!" Kuro noticed that she had awoken, and hurried to her side. "Are you all right? Why are you here? Why didn't you wait for me?"

"...Kuro?"

"Yes, it's me!...At least you're unharmed."

"...Why am I here?"

"Now's not the best time to explain. I'll tell you later when Ninian wakes up, assuming Lord Eliwood's group can handle our attackers."

"WE'RE GETTING ATTACKED? Why aren't you helping them?"

"I...I needed to watch you two; to see if you two are all right. To guard you; you're not in any condition to fight right now," Kuro explained.

"...I'm all right; I can fight. You take care of Ninian; I'll be right back," Serene told Kuro, as she ran through the door of the room.

"SERENE!...Damn!" Kuro cursed.

'Where are...there's Lady Lyndis!' Serene thought, as she saw the lord to her left fighting off an enemy knight. She dashed towards the Sacaean lord. "Lady Lyndis!"

"...What? Serene? Why aren't you inside the room?" Lyn asked her with concern.

"I'm all right, I can fight now! I want to help too!"

"...Please be careful."

"Don't worry about me."

Meanwhile, on the west side, the magic users were being taken down easily. A pegasus's resistance to magic easily let Fiaa and Florina through the enemy forces, allowing Wil to snipe from the air without much difficulty, while switching his rides in midair. Matt and Guy easily took unwary magic users by hiding in the shadows and slitting their throats from behind. Rebecca sneaked along with them, shooting other unwary magic users from the shadows. Hiro sliced anything that comes nearby as long as it's not an ally. There was a huge circle of bodies around the myrmidon. Nobody noticed it, but his ruby's color became a darker red each time Hiro killed a person. Lucifer broke through enemy ranks, and ran towards their leader. He had a suspicion on who it was, and he was right.

"...Zoldam," Lucifer greeted the shaman, who stood motionless and expressionless behind the enemy ranks. "Good to see you again. Mind telling me why you're doing this?"

"The girls. We want the 2 girls," Zoldam told Lucifer.

"Well, you're not getting them!" Lucifer yelled, and dashed towards Zoldam.

Zoldam just shot his palm out at Lucifer, and Lucifer was sent flying backwards. "..." Zoldam was still silent. "NOSFERATU!" he yelled, as he sent a giant cloud of purple towards Lucifer. Lucifer barely dodged the giant cloud. Zoldam kept sending giant clouds in Lucifer's direction, not allowing the mercenary to get close. Lucifer was getting really tired, and could barely dodge the clouds, until Hiro came to the rescue.

"DIE!" Hiro set his sword on fire, and cut through a cloud that was about to hit Lucifer with his burning blade. He then disappeared for a second, sliced at Zoldam while he was invisible, and reappeared behind Zoldam. After that, Zoldam exploded in a shower of burnt flesh. Again, the ruby became a darker red, although still unnoticeable.

"Thanks Hiro," Lucifer grabbed the myrmidon's hand as it was offered to him, and pulled himself up. "Let's go help the others."

Serene dropkicked an enemy pirate off the edge of the ship. She was struck from behind by an enemy mercenary as she landed. "GUH!" She fell down on the ground, unable to get up from the pain. Her vision became blurred, as she saw the mercenary walk towards her, his sword up to strike his finishing blow. Serene blacked out as she saw the flash of a sword in front of her.

"Serene! SERENE!" Eliwood picked up the fallen girl, afraid that she was dead. He could feel blood trickling down her back. "Damn! Hector, take care of the rest; she needs medical attention! I'll need to find the healers!"

"You might want to get her back inside the room, or get Hilda! Priscilla and Serra are too busy here!" Hector yelled back.

"Hold on, Serene..." Eliwood ran towards the planks with Serene in his arms to find Hilda on the west side of the battle area. As he got on the planks, however, he noticed that an enemy mercenary was on the other side. The mercenary smirked, and pushed the plank off of the Davros, and then headed for Eiji and the rest, only to get killed. However, he did his job. Eliwood lost his balance, and fell down with Serene. "GAH!" he yelped. However, in the confusion of battle, no one noticed that the two had fallen. Well, almost no one. Lyn noticed a flash of red descending from where the plank was.

"I think Eliwood just went overboard!" Lyn exclaimed.

'Damn...the battle doesn't look like it'll end soon...' Eliwood thought, as he struggled to tread water with one arm and his feet, using the other arm to keep Serene from drowning. 'I don't know how much longer I can keep this up...'

"Damn it!" Lyn looked over to see Eliwood treading water, with an unconscious Serene in his arms. "MAN OVERBOARD!" she yelled, but no one heard her. She barely dodged a lance as she turned around, and she stabbed her sword into the attacking knight's visor, killing him. "ELIWOOD OVERBOARD!"

Ninian's ear twitched in the room. "...overboard...?" she muttered.

"Ninian! What...what's happened?" Kuro rushed to her side.

"Someone...fell...in...water...?"

"What...where?"

"Lyn...yelled...from east...Eliwood...overboard..."

"WHAT? LORD ELIWOOD? Damn!" Kuro rushed outside, and instinctively, spread out his wings. His allies didn't see this, but the sight stopped the enemies on the Davros attacking Eiji's group in their tracks. Kuro flew to the left side of the ship, and saw Eliwood struggling to keep himself and Serene afloat. "LORD ELIWOOD!" Kuro yelled as he dived down towards the 2 people in the water. "GRAB MY HAND!" Kuro held out a hand.

Eliwood was too tired to notice that Kuro was flying. He held out his hand, and Kuro grabbed it. Kuro managed to carry Eliwood and Serene on board the Davros again with great difficulty. "Serene...wounded...back...healer..."Eliwood muttered, and fainted in his fatigue.

"All right. Marcus, leave Merlinus and Hannah under the knights' care. I'll need you to protect the room; Lord Eliwood is inside with Serene and Ninian. I'm going to get Hilda," Kuro told the paladin, and ran to the ship on the west side to find Hilda. He saw her running with the rest of the group to cross the planks. After they did, the ship was set on fire and Hiro jumped out of the flames. "HILDA! I need your help! Serene's wounded, Eliwood's fainted, and Serra and Priscilla are too busy with the other side!"

Hilda and Kuro rushed towards the room. Soon after, the other ship was set on fire as well. "...why didn't I think of this earlier?" Erk thought out loud, but then shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, that was fun."

"...they're really cold...I can't feel any heat coming out of their heads..." Hilda commented, after healing Serene's wound. "They might have been affected with hypothermia...I need a Recover staff, PRONTO!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't have one anywhere," Merlinus said sadly. "Perhaps someone on the ship has one?"

"I'll go check," Hiro offered, and left the room.

Ninian woke up to the sound of conversation in the room. "Uh...wha...?"

"Ninian! Don't get up yet, there's blood everywhere!" Kuro told her to sit back down.

"Ninian...is...is that my name...? Who...who am I?" Ninian walked around, asking the question to no one in particular.

"Ninian, what's happened to you?"

"...Am...am I at sea?"

"Those scum were after the girl, it seems. Will you take her with you? The men are afraid she, well, she might be cursed, you know?" Fargus asked the lords.

"Cursed?" Kuro asked him, puzzled. "Are you suggesting that we leave her behind?"

"We can't take her with us, can we? We're heading for the Dread Isle. It's dread for a reason, you know!" Hector told him.

"Regardless... please, let her go with us!" Kuro pleaded.

"Lyndis?" Hector asked the other lord.

"When I saw her, I remembered something. The last time I saw Ninian...She and her brother were being hunted by some dark-robed men..." Lyn remarked.

"The Black Fang," Lucifer interrupted. "This attack was led by a lower ranking member of the fang. His name is Zoldam. And you're right, captain Fargus, he was after Serene and Ninian..."

"If it's true, then it's likely that they'll be attacked again..." Hector said quickly before Lyn could ask how Lucifer knew about this.

"Almost certainly. We can't leave them behind. I will watch over them. Please..." Kuro pleaded.

"I understand. We should be by their side to protect their," Hector said.

"Thank you," Kuro bowed his thanks.

"We're all going to that island. Will you come with us?" Lyn asked Ninian.

"Yes... Please... take me with you..." Ninian nodded.

An hour had passed in silence after this; neither Eliwood nor Serene showed any sign of waking up. Then Hiro burst through the door with a restore staff in hand. "GOT IT!" he exclaimed, and handed it to Hilda.

"All we can do now is pray for it to succeed..." Hilda said sadly as she began applying the magic on Eliwood and Serene.

It was empty. The place he was in was dark. There didn't seem to be any boundaries. He would like to find out, but only if he could move around. Eliwood looked around to see nothing but blackness. He tried to move; it turned out that he could swim through the nothingness. He looked around, and saw a light. His instincts told him to go that way, but he continued looking around...and saw Serene just laying there the opposite direction from the light. He called to her, but no sound came out. 'Damn...what's wrong with me? Where am I?' he thought to himself.

'...What...? Where am I...? Am I...dead? That sword...did it strike me?' Serene thought, as her eyes opened to see...nothingness. She was startled; she thought she was blind, and started looking around to see...Eliwood swimming towards her through the nothingness and a light behind him. Her instinct was to swim towards him. 'Is he dead too?'

Eliwood sighed with relief when he saw Serene stir and start swimming towards him. He started to move faster towards her, but felt himself being pulled back by the light. 'What? No...not yet!' He swam harder towards the girl reaching one hand out towards her. Serene could see that Eliwood was struggling hard against something, and moved faster towards him. However, she noticed that she was being pulled back as well...by the darkness behind her. They both swam faster.

"...I think they're coming to..." Hiro commented, seeing Eliwood's eye twitch.

"Serene...no...please...not yet...just let me grab her hand..." Eliwood muttered quietly.

"Lord Eliwood...just a bit...more..." Serene also said very quietly.

"What's this?" Kuro asked Hilda.

"...The 'seed connection'..." Hiro said quietly.

"...What?"

"When two people are involved in a near death situation, or something like that, if they are friends, rivals, lovers, whatever, as long as they aren't enemies, this 'seed connection' has a slim chance of happening to save their lives. The 'seed connection' brings both persons to a mental plane where they have to fight some type of force to save themselves and the other person; it's either a win-win or lose-lose situation; if one person fails in this fight, the other person dies too. However, if both succeed, they gain unimaginable powers and other abilities, as well as greatly increasing the bond between the two persons...at least that's what we studied at the guild," Hiro explained.

Eliwood finally managed to grab Serene's hand, and she pulled him closer to her. They held onto each other tightly, not willing to let the other go in this nothingness. Eliwood didn't want to lose Serene to the nothingness, and she didn't want to be left alone in the nothingness. After what seemed like hours, they start to ache; the pull of the forces were very strong. However, by sheer willpower, neither of them let go. Both of them tried to say something, but none of them could. Then, finally, the light behind Eliwood closed. Another hole of light appeared, and sucked the two in without much effort. 'Is this my end?' Eliwood thought to himself.

Serene opened her eyes in shock at the light of the candle in the room. So did Eliwood; both sat upright at the same time.

"THEY'RE ALIVE!" Hilda called to the people waiting outside.

After Hilda left the room, Eliwood turned his head weakly to look at Serene, who did the same with Eliwood. They both smiled, and went back to sleep.


	25. HectorEliwood 9: The Dread Isle

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever. The technique X-Strike is owned by Square or whatever they're called now.

Thanks for those that keep on reviewing.

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Eliwood's and Hector's tale Chapter 9: The Dread Isle**

The room...no, the place was more like a dimensional hole. There sat the remaining divine dragons. Their leader, a large, grey scaled dragon with lighter grey belly scales looked tiredly at his companions, and suspiciously at the yellow scaled one. Bahamut was tired; Idoun's recent death didn't help at all. Alexander had left to collect her soul recently.

A large gate appeared in the middle of the area; and a large old silver dragon walked out, Alexander. On his left claw there was a black ring which held the soul of the black divine dragon. He then walked and took his seat in this place. Not long after, another gate popped out, but this time, the dragons were surprised. Alveen slowly rose out of the gate.

"What do you want, scum..." the red divine dragon, Salamandra, spat at his descendant, but weakly; this realm weakened the powers of the dragon drastically.

"Now, now, great lord of fire, that's no way to treat a guest," Alveen said mockingly.

"What do you want?" Salamandra repeated.

"Something simple. Just your cooperation in this matter. Do you remember, o divine dragons, the swords that were created with your blessings?" Alveen asked, looking around at the remaining divine dragons. "They have all been awakened by their humans, and this means that the final step of my plan is soon going to be unleashed upon the human world."

"We won't let you..." Leviathan said weakly. She was also heavily weakened; more so than Salamandra because she was one of the weaker dragons. Bahamut, Salamandra, and Tiamat are the most powerful three, in that order.

"What can ANY of YOU do? You're all weak. Nowhere near the state of your prime. Your time here has assured that. I could get my army here and they would wipe you out easily," Alveen snapped at her. "So why don't you just give me your cooperation? This will make things so much easier..."

"I accept," Tiamat said quickly. He certainly didn't want to die now. Alveen grinned evilly.

"I hope the rest of you will be as smart as that one," Alveen said, and left, closing the dimensional hole behind him.

"What have you done?" Salamandra asked the yellow dragon angrily.

"Fool. I just saved our lives. In our current state, there is no way we could take on his army. It would be best if we listen to him," Tiamat replied.

"...Coward," Salamandra spat.

"...He may be right, however. But, I have a plan to save both humankind and dragonkind from Alveen's mad scheme," Bahamut said.

"Why would you want to save humankind? The world is rightly ours," Tiamat spat.

Bahamut ignored him, and continued on. "Our time is nearly up; remember that our prison here has taken away from us the gift of immortality. I suggest that we sacrifice ourselves, so that our efforts and Idoun's death will not have been in vain. Alexander, seek your black dragon descendant, who has recently left for the human world to look for the half-dragon children. Bring Idoun's soul with you; I suspect both the Einharjar and Etherion are in the same place; if not, then look for the Einharjar's wielder after you have found the wielder of the Etherion. The rest of us will search the world for our corresponding swords and sacrifice ourselves to give our power to their owners. We must make haste."

After that, the dragons walked through the portal, to leave for the human world. Tiamat left last, but he instead went to the world of dragons; to Alveen's home, to be exact.

Dragon world:

"He's there again, Idoun. Make sure you get him this time. Why did you not enter the spring the last time?" Alveen asked the young clone.

"I...I...I'm sorry, father, I don't know what came over me," Idoun apologized. The last time she went, she just sat there hidden in the bush, looking at Rodrak, not moving, until he left. And then she returned empty-handed. So at her father's command, she left out to redo her mission.

Human world:

"So where to now, milady?" Elena asked Karla after they walked out of the arena.

"For the...something-th time, I'm Karla now. I...want to look for my brothers," Karla replied.

"Oh...right...which ones?"

"All three of them, but I think we should start with Karel, since he most likely hasn't crossed paths with my other foster brother and Hiro. And the Sword Demon's trail would be the easiest to follow, as well."

"Wait...HE'S THE SWORD DEMON? THE GUY THAT KILLED A THOUSAND KNIGHTS IN A SINGLE BATTLE BY HIMSELF!"

"That's him."

"But...but...he's psycho!"

"You don't have to come if you don't want to..."

"Oh...fine, I don't think I can have this on my conscience if I let you look for your psychotic brother only to get killed by him..."

Nergal's Lair:

"Shame on you, Marquess Pherae. You freed THE REMAINING 3!" Nergal asked the red-haired noble in rage; after Kuro escaped, Elbert freed Nils, Ninian, AND Serene.

"I will not let you move unopposed!" Elbert snapped.

"Wh-What shall we do, Lord Nergal? With both siblings gone, we can no longer hold the ceremony..." Darin said nervously.

"How many times must I tell you, Lord Darin? You are being used by this man! By helping him bring dragons back into this world, you are helping him destroy mankind! Do you understand?" Elbert asked the general angrily.

"Pah...ha ha ha... Destroy mankind? Dragons may have been a threat to mankind in ages past, but with Lord Nergal's power, we've got nothing to fear! Lord Nergal can control dragons! Ha ha...ha ha ha..." Darin laughed nervously.

"Lord Darin... You're already lost..." Elbert shook his head sadly.

"I'd planned to start a war in Lycia. The war I was plotting in Lycia would've generated a glorious amount of quintessence in one blow. You were not equal to the task, it seems. Not to worry. I've other means at hand," Nergal said.

"Black hearted fiends! Guuuh!" Elbert yelped and clutched his stomach in pain.

"Hold your tongue. There is still a task you must perform for me. Ephidel! Limstella! My beloved morphs, my beauteous works of art. I've new jobs for you, my pets. First Limstella. You will go to Bern and contact Sonia. I want you to arrange a meeting with the king," Nergal instructed. Limstella nodded and teleported out of the lair. "Ephidel, take this... man, Marquess Laus, and go. I want you to exterminate the mice who've landed on the island." Ephidel nodded and teleported with Darin. "That leaves you, Marquess Pherae. It seems your legacy is one of endurance," Nergal commented.

"What do you mean?"

"...The mouse who interfered with my conquest of Lycia is named Eliwood. Should he be congratulated on making it this far?" Nergal asked maliciously.

"Eliwood? My son is here? Stop! Do with me what you will, but let my son be!" Elbert pleaded.

"Hm? Heh...Hehahahaha! Remember the siblings and the girl you freed? The girls are here, too. As a matter of fact, they're with your son, Eliwood. Quite a delicious twist of fate, wouldn't you say?" Nergal laughed maniacally.

"... This can't be..."

"Eliwood will die in these woods. The girls will be returned to me, and the ceremony will take place. Hm... Despite those long hours of torture, you remain undaunted. Such courage will make you the perfect sacrifice, Marquess Pherae," Nergal congratulated Elbert.

"Eliwood... Turn back... Take the girl and flee... ...Please..." Elbert pleaded, hoping that somehow, his words will reach his son's ears.

Leila watched the whole thing, and started walking out of the lair. 'I can't believe it's come to this. I must inform Lord Hector of these events... If I hurry, I may be in time... What?' Leila turned around, as she heard someone move behind her.

"Leila... Where are you going?" Ephidel appeared from out of the shadows.

"Lord Ephidel... The sentries... I'm going to check on..." Leila lied nervously.

"You overheard, did you not? ...And I had such hopes for you. Jaffar!" Ephidel called, and a red-haired assassin in black and grey robes appeared from behind him. "The punishment for traitors is death." As he said this, Jaffar disappeared. A few moments of silence; and after that, Leila's body fell motionlessly to the ground.

"Aa...Ma...Matthew..." these were the thief's last words before her eyes closed for the last time.

"...Impressive, Jaffar. Your power is beyond compare," Ephidel congratulated the assassin, who stayed silent. "Take this woman's corpse and leave it in the forest. Let it serve as a warning to those fools."

Beach of Dread Isle:

"We've arrived," Fargus told Eliwood, who has recovered from his little dilemma.

"Thank you very much," Eliwood offered his hand, and the big berserker shook it.

"We'll wait two weeks. Finish up by then."

"That's more than enough time!" Hector said cockily.

"And I've got a half-wit sailor who wants to go sightseeing. C'mere, Dart!" Fargus called the young pirate with the white bandana and striped light blue and white shirt.

"I'm here, Captain! Ready to serve!" Dart greeted the group.

"We're pleased to have you," Eliwood bowed.

"His only redeeming feature is his sturdiness. Maybe he'll come in handy," Fargus told Eliwood.

"Come on, Captain! I'm better'n that!"

"You've done so much. I can't thank you enough..." Eliwood bowed again.

"Come back alive! That's all the thanks I need," Fargus just laughed.

"All right. Farewell! We'll be back before you know it!" Eliwood waved goodbye as he walked down the ramp to join the rest of the group.

"...There are good people, even among pirates," Lyn commented.

"I don't think the old man and his group are your average pirates," Hector said. Then he looked towards the large looming forest in front of him. "Somewhere within that forest is the Dragon's Gate. Eliwood! No matter what it takes, we're coming back with your father!"

"...We'll surely find him. We'll all do our best to make it so," Lyn assured him.

"You're right. Let's make preparations to enter the forest," Hector said, and walked back to the tacticians to plan their search.

"Let's get through these woods. It's starting to get foggy... Try not to get separated," Mark said, walking quickly with the rest of the group.

" 'Enter and be lost.' It feels like we're not coming back," Hector commented.

"Hector! Are you trying to curse us?" Lyn smacked him.

"Are you well, Serene?" Eliwood asked the girl. She nodded silently.

"Ah!" suddenly, Ninian and Serene yelped in surprise.

"...Someone's here!" Eliwood readied his rapier. He saw a woman's figure leaning against a tree.

"Who? A sentry? Leila! Is that you? Impressive work, finding your way here!" Hector walked up to her to congratulate her.

"... Something's wrong, Leila? Lei...!" Eliwood held his friend back.

"...She's...she's dead..." Lyn told the rest of the group.

"...This can't be. She was one of our best spies, Leila..."

"WHAT? LEILA? WHERE IS SHE! WHAT'S WRONG!" Matthew rushed to the front of the group, pushing everyone out of his path. He stopped in his tracks, dumbstruck at the sight of the corpse of his lover. He slowly walked up to her, and kneeled beside her body, which fell to the ground as he walked closer, making the thief jump back. And he cried, as he held her in his arms.

"...I'm sorry, Matthew," Hector said awkwardly, putting his large hand on the thief's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"...Why do you apologize, my lord? Leila blundered. ...That's all," Matthew tried to hold back the rest of his tears.

"Matthew... Leila was...She was..."

"After his mission, I was going to ask here to put this life behind her... Waited too long, didn't I? Ha... ...My lord, might I... rejoin you later? She has to be buried..." Matthew stood up, carrying Leila's limp body in his arms.

"...Of course."

"Ah... I'll go with you..." Lyn offered.

"...Let them be alone. There's nothing else we can do..." Eliwood held his hand out to stop her.

"Blast! They put her out here for us to find like this!" Hector punched the tree where Leila's body was set upon.

"Unforgivable! This is... a foul deed. Beyond foul," Lyn spat.

"Let's go. The foe is somewhere in this forest. We must stop this before any more die!" Hector said, clenching his fists.

"...Look...man...I'm sorry," Guy said, trying to comfort his friend.

"...No...Leila...we...we were close, you know?" Matthew said sadly, as he started digging Leila's grave. "And...and she doesn't even get a funeral...she deserves so much better..." Matthew continued to dig with tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Ah! ...Beware! Something comes!" Ninian warned the group as she entered a trance.

"What? Kyaa!" Lyn yelped as a ranger rode out from the forest and grabbed her. He then held a sword to her throat.

"Uhai!" Lucifer called to the ranger.

"If you value her life, send the girls to me," Uhai held his sword steadily.

Ninian hid behind Kuro and Serene hid behind Eliwood. The two lords readied their weapons.

"You, you're Sacaen!" Lyn looked around to see the features of her captor.

"That's correct... I am Uhai of the Black Fang. I've been sent to capture the girls... And to kill the lot of you. If, however... you hand over the girls and depart the island at once, I'll grant you your lives," Uhai told the group.

"...Since when have you started using hostages?" Lucifer clenched his fists.

"And if we refuse?" Lyn asked him.

"You know nothing, little lord. Nothing of Nergal's might. Nothing of his terrible power. You are ignorant, and so you hope to oppose him. You are insects railing against the heavens. Your actions will change nothing. Speak no more foolishness and begone!"

"... Maybe we don't know what it is we're fighting... But if we flee, our loss is assured. So we will continue to struggle, and we may yet prevail!" Eliwood roared.

"Folly," Uhai shook his head, and he released his grab on Lyn. "Holding a woman hostage during battle is shameful. You, too, are of Sacae, and I've a mind to show you mercy. I will let you die with a sword in yourd hands. But rest assured... I will kill you all here. But be of good cheer! In dying, you shall all be spared the calamity that is to come!"

"Uhai...what happened to you...?" Lucifer clenched his fists even tighter.

"You knew him?" Lyn asked the mercenary.

"Yes, but now's not the time to explain. Knowing Uhai, he probably already has his men surrounding us," Lucifer commented. "This is bad."

"...Hmph! Fog! You should take thieves with you... and torches will make things easier, too. I sense the foe has a strange item... watch you possessions closely...Take the orchid-haired sky rider... There is someone she should meet," Hannah said in her trance.

"There's one problem. Matthew's...incapacitated right now," Hilda said.

"We'll just have to make do without him. Let's do this," Mark told her.

"You're Hiro, right? I'm Dart, leader of Fargus's suicide squad! The captain's ordered me to follow your commands. So, who do you want me to take care of?" the young pirate from before greeted the tactician.

"...Suicide Squad?" Hiro cocked his eyebrows. Dart nodded and grinned. "...No comment... Be prepared for battle."

"Brother!" Rebecca ran up to the pirate and hugged him. "PLEASE REMEMBER US!"

"I TOLD YOU I'M NOT YOUR BROTHER, DAMMIT!" Dart shook her off angrily. "This is like, the hundredth time, you ran up to me, hugged me, saying that I'm Dan or whoever. I'M NOT DAN, THE NAME'S DART!" he roared, and calmed himself. "Ahem...yeah. It's Dart."

"Well...uh...fine then. My name is Rebecca. I wanted to apologize for earlier...You just look so much like my brother who ran away from home..."

"Don't worry about it."

"I suppose so... But I'm still sorry."

"I said it's fine. ...Urp. Oog... The beast in my belly is growling again..." Dart's stomach rumbled VERY loudly, getting some notice from Wil and the others.

"Oh! Here. Have this! It's a special lunch I make. Fresh fruit, roasted fowl, herbed bread, and..." Rebecca never finished as Dart took it out of her hand and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Uhh, all right, then. So now we're even? Is that fair?"

"Sure!"

Somewhere else near on the beach, a blue armored Pegasus knight with long flowing aquamarine hair flew into the forest. From her place in the sky, she saw the groups' battle in the forest. "I found them... These men are Black Fang... Look, everyone. Your sacrifices were not in vain. I'll fulfill our duty, even if I must do it myself. I am a true knight of Ilia!" She flew at a faster pace to join the fray.

"There's a Pegasus knight coming from the north!" Kyo told the rest of the fliers. "What do we do, Mark?"

"...Wait, that's my sister!" Florina exclaimed.

"That's...that's Fiora. She's Florina's oldest sister," Fiaa told the wyvern rider.

"She didn't notice the archers there, did she?" Odin asked them.

"Archers...? Oh, crap. We have to warn her!" Kyo, Fiaa, and Florina, with Wil riding on Huey, flew towards the coming Pegasus knight at maddening speed. Odin kicked his mount to follow them. Mark rode on Odin's horse along with the cavalier.

Hector just finished off an enemy knight, but was getting pushed back and was starting to get overwhelmed by an onslaught of attacks coming from 3 mercenaries. "...Damn!" he cursed. Then, one of them just fell to the ground dead, and surprised the other two. Hector took this chance to strike one down as the last one fell dead...and revealed Matthew behind him.

"I'm back, milord," Matthew greeted Hector.

"Matthew! Are you sure? You don't have to..."

"What are you talking about? Look at this eerie place, this thick fog... This is exactly why you brought me with you."

"Yet..."

"If Leila... If Leila knew I was shirking my duties, she would never have forgiven me. I'm fine. I will work twice as hard for Ostia in her honor."

"I understand... I'm counting on you!" Hector then walked off to rejoin the fray.

"As well you should, my lord!" Matthew said, and looked at the sky. "Tell me, Leila... This is what you'd want, right? You wouldn't want me to give up. I'll mourn for you when our batle is won. I must fulfill my duty. So rest... I promise I will take care of everything."

"I see you're back with us," Guy walked up to his friend, along with Rebecca, Dart, and Kain. "...We'll help you too, as your friends. Don't need to use up a favor for this."

"...thanks, man," Matthew said, nodding his head. "Let's kick some ass. It'll be good stress relief..." Unfortunately for him, a group of 3 nomad troopers and 4 snipers surrounded them. "Well...crap. Well, if we're going to die here, we might as well go down fighting."

"Oh, I don't plan on dying yet," Guy smirked. "Let's do this. X-STRIKE! (Square please don't sue me)" Guy's sword started to burn up with fire, and Matthew's sword was gathering wind energy. Both disappeared in a flash of light respective to their affinities; but left a trail of energy behind them as they sliced through a nomad trooper, shredding him into tiny bite-sized pieces. The trail, obviously, looked like an X.

"Arrow Shower!" Rebecca aimed her bow up high and rained down arrows upon their enemies, stunning them for the moment. Dart threw a hand axe and Kain a Javelin, taking out 2 snipers. "Guy! I think I see the fliers getting attacked by archers! We need to help them!"

"Can I trust you to beat these ones on your own?" Guy asked Matt.

"Do you like Rebecca?"

"...I hate you," Guy said, frowning, as he chased after the archer.

Matthew disappeared into the shadows, with Dart and Kain following behind him, confusing the bow-users. Matthew slit the throat of another sniper, and Dart sliced another one, while Kain impaled one from behind, leaving only 2 nomad troopers left. Matthew hid in the shadows again. Dart twirled his axe around to block the arrows one of them was shooting at him. Kain stuck his lance into the ground while running, pulled on it, and lifted himself into the air while bringing the weapon up with him. He righted himself in the air, and threw the lance down on the unsuspecting nomad trooper, who was aiming at the soldier, and disarmed the bow-user. Matthew reappeared from the shadows and slit his throat.

"It's an ambush!" Kyo noticed too late, as he saw more snipers and archers coming out of the woods. "CRAP!"

"FIORA! DIVE! DIVE!" Fiaa called to the Pegasus knight flying towards them.

"...Is that Fiaa?...Dive?...EEEK!" Fiora screamed as she saw a hailstorm of arrows flying towards her. She dipped, dived, and did whirls in the air to dodge the arrows, but a few managed to clip her pegasus's wings. "Damn! CALLY!" she screamed as she fell. Odin noticed her fall.

"Damn!" Odin cursed, and quickened his mount's gallop. He electrified his sword to cut the trees in his way, and charged forward. As he gained speed, his whole body and his sword became engulfed in a magnetic aura, pushing away everything in his path. This resulted in many trees flying out of his way as he rushed to save the falling Pegasus knight. As he came into the clearing, he blasted through the rank of archers, and the magnetic aura repelled any arrows coming towards him, as he broke through and trampled the enemy archers. "RAH!" he yelled, swinging his sword hard, while pulling his horse to a stop, sending the magnetic aura forward and shaping it like a bed to stop Fiora's fall. Seeing that the Pegasus knight is safe, he turned around to face a bigger problem: a whole battalion of archers and snipers all aiming at him. "Oh...shit!" he cursed, and put up a magnetic barrier to repel the archers' arrows. However, he had to move back so that none of them would hit Fiora behind him.

"...Thank you for saving me..." Fiora said quietly to Odin as she tended to Cally's wings. Florina and Wil descended, as Wil sniped the enemy while in the air as they flew down to Fiora's location.

"Sister!" Florina got off her Pegasus to hug her sister.

"Florina! What are you doing here?" Fiora asked her younger sister.

"I'm working here for Lady Lyndis. Why are you here?"

"...I'm here to avenge my comrades. They have fallen to these men; all of them."

"Then come with us; we could use your help!"

"Thank you, but Cally's not in any shape to do battle right now..."

"Hold on, maybe these will work..." Wil said, walking up to the sisters with a bottle of colorless liquid. As Fiora was about to say something, Florina held her and Wil started applying the liquid on Cally's wings. The arrows fell off, the blood and wounds were gone, and the feathers were shining. "This medicine never fails," he commented. "However, don't have her fly yet. She'll need to recover; so she can only run."

"...You guys done yet?" Odin asked them.

"I guess so," Wil told him. "I'll set up a distraction; you 3 escape." Odin nodded, and led Fiora and Florina.

"Flash Bolt!" Wil shot an arrow high in the sky, and it exploded in a loud bang and covered the whole area with bright light, blinding the archers. He then sprinted to catch up with Odin and the others.

Meanwhile, Fiaa and Kyo were taking the archers out while flying low as the bow-users were distracted by the light.

"It seems that they're all right now..." Guy commented.

"You're right. Let's go back to...EEK!" Rebecca yelped and jumped back to see that there were 3 heroes behind them with their swords and axes out. One of them threw a hand axe at Rebecca, but she turned around just in time to dodge it. "We're gonna die..."

"GAH!" Guy yelled in pain, as he parried a blow from one of the heroes, but another hero went to his side and struck his side. He rolled away and clutched his bleeding side. "That hurt..." The two heroes kept on attacking the myrmidon at the same time in a fury; Guy had no chance to fight back. Rebecca was having a hard time dodging the blows of the last hero; she couldn't get far enough to be able to aim and fire her bow. Eventually, Guy regrouped with Rebecca, but Guy was now covered in blood and slash wounds, and Rebecca was bleeding at the mouth from a kick to her gut.

"Guy?"

"...Yeah?"

"...I should have told you earlier...but...ARGH!" Rebecca was hit by a hero's killing edge while she dashed backwards on her thigh. "At least...if I die here...I'll die...with you..."

"NO! I'M NOT GOING TO GO DOWN SO EASILY! UGH!" Guy was sent flying back as a hero tackled him with his shield. "I swore to be the best swordsman in all of Sacae, and I'm not going to lose to some two-bit nobodies!" Guy's hand went into his pocket, and he snatched out the Orion's Bolt Matt gave him earlier. "Rebecca! Use this!" Guy called to her, and tossed her the badge. Then he took out the Hero Crest Matt gave him earlier. 'I owe you big time for this, man,' he thought. "HERO CREST!"

"ORION'S BOLT!"

However, before the lightning bolt could strike, the heroes with swords impaled both Guy and Rebecca in the gut. The two fell down, but then the lightning bolt struck, pushing away the heroes.

'...Did I...die...?' Guy thought, as he saw his life flash before his eyes. Rebecca was thinking and doing the same thing. In the giant flashback, however, one thing stood out for Guy; Rebecca was standing in front of him; apparently they were in some giant spherical theatre showing their entire lives. '...Rebecca?' Guy tried to say her name, but ended up only thinking it. He then realized; this is what Eliwood and Serene experienced a few days before. 'So what's the test?' he thought. Then, in front of him, Rebecca split into 5 different copies of herself, and all began talking at once. '...I had to ask.'

'So...I just have to figure out who the real one is?' Rebecca thought, seeing the 5 Guys in front of her, all talking to her at once.

'Um...hmm...' Guy thought hard; the Rebeccas talking made it very hard for him to concentrate, until he heard one of them say; "Next time you want to look at the night sky, please take me with you?" Guy walked up to that one, and touched it. Then everything went black.

Rebecca had the same problem Guy did until one of the Guys said; "I'm going to be the best swordsman in all of Sacae, and I'll do it for you." Rebecca walked up to that one, and touched it.

The lightning bolts subsided; and in their place, a swordmaster and a sniper stood tall, brandishing their new weapons. Guy's shirt was replaced by a looser light blue Sacaean jacket, unbuttoned in the middle, and went down to cover most of his legs, and it was tied at his waist. His pants became a darker light blue. He readied his Killing Edge in one hand and his new Silver Sword in the other. Rebecca had her hair unbraided and didn't have her bandana on anymore. She wore heavier sniper armor, and her boots are now higher, but her skirt became shorter, as well as a lighter shade of brown. She readied her new Silver Bow.

"DIE!" one of the heroes yelled, as he threw his hand tomahawk at Guy. Guy disappeared. The axe then disintegrated, and Guy reappeared behind the hero. The hero started choking blood, and died as many sword wounds appeared on his chest. Another hero attacked, but was parried by the two swords. He slammed his shield into Guy, who recovered by doing a back flip in midair. As soon as he landed, he disappeared again, and reappeared in front of the hero, with his swords in the hero's gut. Rebecca parried a sword strike from the other hero with her metal bow, and kicked him...hard...where it hurts. The hero reeled backwards in pain, and Rebecca took out an arrow from her quiver and stuck it in his head.

"...Uhai," Lucifer said quietly as he came face to face with the nomad trooper. "Why are you doing this? This isn't like you."

"You should know why," Uhai replied.

"...Sonia's orders. Am I right?"

"You are correct. Now, do not expect me to hold back because we were former comrades," Uhai told Lucifer, and readied a killing edge. "I am the Soaring Hawk! Come!"

"Your funeral!" Lucifer yelled back as he unsheathed his Etherion. Uhai galloped towards the mercenary, and swung his killing edge at Lucifer's head. Lucifer held up his sword just in time to block it, but the momentum of the strike made him fly backwards. He rolled on his back to stand back up quickly, and turned around to face his opponent again. He ran around Uhai's horse to strike its flank with his sword, but Uhai parried the blow, making him lose his balance. Uhai struck again, but Lucifer ducked under the blow, and swung his sword upwards, hitting the horse's side, and making a huge cut. Uhai tried to hit Lucifer again, but the mercenary rolled under his horse. Lucifer stood up quickly, and unsheathed an iron sword. He then took his second sword to stab the horse in the heart, making it leap uncontrollably, and finally falling in a heap, kicking Uhai off.

"Not bad," Uhai commented, and readied his Killer Bow, and shot. Lucifer repelled the arrow with his sword. Uhai kept on shooting to keep Lucifer away from him; the mercenary couldn't get close enough to strike Uhai down.

"Before I kill you, tell me one thing," Lucifer said, as he repelled more of Uhai's arrows. "Is...Limstella still there; does she still work for Sonia?"

"The girl is rarely seen around here anymore. Most say she's by Nergal's side most of the time now," Uhai told him. "And what makes you think you can defeat me?"

"This," Lucifer smirked, and took out something from his pocket. After he parried another arrow, he threw it right in front of Uhai. "ACTIVATE LIGHT RUNE!" he yelled as Uhai shot another arrow. However, the wall the light rune created just made it bounce back towards Uhai, and impaled his foot into the ground, making the nomad trooper wince in pain. Now that Uhai is incapacitated, Lucifer charged his sword with dark energy. "FALLING STAR!" he yelled, and his sword trembled like crazy. It lifted itself up, bringing the mercenary up with it. Above Uhai, Lucifer swung the Etherion down hard.

"BOOOOOM!" a loud explosion could be heard from where Lucifer was.

"What was that?" Mark asked Hilda. "...Was that Uhai?"

"I think Lucifer got him..." Hilda remarked.

"Guuu... Well...done... You are... stronger... stronger than I expected. Out of respect... ...a final gift from me... From here, go south...Turn at the rotted tree. Head... west. There lies the path to the...Dragon's Gate... Unnh..." Uhai told the mercenary with his dying breath, as he too soon lost his life.

"...Uhai...thanks...damn that bitch Sonia," Lucifer said angrily, and walked back to join the group.

"I guess that's all of them..." Erk panted; he was exhausted. It was hard work protecting both Priscilla and Serra at the same time. "Let's go back to camp," he said, and leaned on Priscilla's horse.

"Walk with me Erky, please?" Serra didn't wait for a reply as she pulled Erk away from the horse to lean on her instead.

"It's all right, you can sit on the horse too," Priscilla pulled Erk back to her horse, and the human tug-o-war round two has started.

Erk looked at Raven with a look that pretty much meant SOS. Raven laughed at his predicament, and gave Erk a look that said 'You should be happy that this is happening to you,' and laughed.

"Shall we get a move on, then, while the sky is still bright?" Hiro asked Eliwood as the group finished gathering.

"...Yes. Let us move on," Eliwood agreed, and led the group onwards according to Uhai's directions. "But...Uhai...can we trust him?"

"Uhai is a man of Sacae. He would not lie," Hiro told the lord. "At least, I hope not..."

Ostia:

"Villa," Jonah called from his new office in the arena. "How is our project doing?"

"...Not good at all, Jonah. She is staying as far away from the group as she can. However, there's one good thing; she has found someone else with a sacred sword, and is currently traveling towards Ostia," the assassin told him from the shadows.

"Hmm...This is both good and bad. We must rid ourselves of Hiro as quickly as possible, but...Well then, I leave the myrmidon's death to you," Jonah said. "Go back to the Dread Isle and finish him."

"Yes sir," Villa replied, as he was teleported back to Valor. "...Am I doing the right thing, mother...?" he said quietly as he arrived, knowing full well that dead people can't reply. The Black Fang had killed her, but they recruited him after seeing his potential. He wanted revenge. He wanted to become the best in the Fang, take over the whole organization, and kill the people that killed his mother. But this plan seems impossible now that Sonia is here. "...Damn it."

Valor again:

"This way..." a red haired mage wearing a red cloak ran through the hallways with a swordsmaster and a sniper behind her. Soon, they escaped the castle, and found that it was windy outside. Her long hair flowed against the wind as they ran against it. "Damn. It's too windy; we'll just tire ourselves out if we go on...Ayla, what's wrong?"

"...I thought I heard people. Coming from the northeast..." the sniper replied. "...I feel...weird...It's like someone we know is in that group of people."

"Your feelings are usually right; let's go check it out," the swordsmaster suggested. "Cierra, will you come with us? You don't have to, you know; you've helped us a lot more than we did you."

"Of course I'm coming. I can't survive on my own out here..." the mage replied. "Yuan, Ayla, let's go." And with that, they left to meet the Eliwood's Elite, although unknowingly.

Dragon World:

"...Why have you come here, lord of lightning?" Alveen asked the great yellow dragon.

"I want to make a compromise," Tiamat smiled. Tiamat told Alveen of Bahamut's plan.

"This could prove disastrous...but it wouldn't matter much. The power of the divine dragons has dwindled significantly over the centuries. I doubt this would be any threat to me," Alveen said calmly.

"That is, only if Jonah's little experiment succeeds in killing the main link first," Tiamat told him. "And by the looks of it, it's not working very well, as my sources tell me."

"Hmm...And what do you suggest?"

"Restore my power; or at least some of it; I will take care of the humans. I want to feel strong again," Tiamat told Alveen. "I want the world to be ours; that world that should have been ours..."

"Ask and ye shall receive," Alveen said, grinning wickedly.

End Eliwood's and Hector's tales chapter 19

Please R&R!


	26. HectorEliwood 9x and 9xx

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever.

Thanks for all those that keep on reviewing, love y'all.

Feel like making a second update today cuz I'm just bored.

**THE TACTICIANS' WISH**

**Eliwood's and Hector's tales Chapter 9 Gaiden and chapter 9 Gaiden II**

Dragon World:

'...He's here,' Idoun thought as he saw the figure of the young silver dragon in his human form enter the spring.

Rodrak relaxed his tense muscles; he never enjoyed politics. He would have to sit for hours listening to his father and other important figures talk. This resulted in severe numbness and the desire to commit suicide. But he was able to fight that desire, because most young male dragons' deepest desire is to get laid, and he wouldn't want to die a virgin, now, would he? He sighed; the spring water always does the trick in making him relax.

'...No. I can't do this,' Idoun blushed as she started walking towards the spring. '...But father will be angry,' she thought again, and started to walk closer. '...But this feels...strange,' she stopped again. '...Maybe I should come back some other time...No. I'm going to do this today,' she thought, and finally resolved to take her clothes off quickly, and walked quickly towards the spring.

Rodrak heard something in the bushes. Another dragon in human form was nearby. 'Crap,' he thought. He was near fire dragon territory. If this was one of their sentries...he would be dead. Then he focused his hearing; he could hear the other dragon's footsteps; they were light, like a child's. "Phew..." he sighed in relief; it was only a child...or not. His nose started to bleed like crazy as Idoun's naked form entered the spring from the side the sound came from. 'Oh...crap,' he thought, and hid himself underwater quickly.

Idoun sniffed, something smelled weird. She smelled blood, and looked in the direction of the smell. A small clump of blood was on the surface of the water...next to some air bubbles coming up. She could see the silver dragon's figure underneath the surface. She started to wade towards him.

'If I can't see her, she can't see me...If I can't see her, she can't see me...' Rodrak kept on chanting in his mind. He opened his eyes for a quick peek and saw the girl walking towards him. 'Damn! She spotted me! Aborting mission...' He jumped out of the water making a giant splash, surprising Idoun and sending her falling backwards into the water. He then started to wade towards where his clothes are.

"...(spits out water)...Wait!" Idoun pleaded as Rodrak was wading at full speed towards his clothes.

The silver dragon stopped and turned around to look at the girl. His nose started bleeding again. And that wasn't the only thing on his body that became 'alive' after doing so. "WhatdoyouwantIdidntseeanythingIdefinitelydidnotseeyounakedAAAAA!" Rodrak panicked. He turned around and waded even faster, making the other dragon sweatdrop.

"...um...sorry if I startled you..." Idoun apologized.

"...I...Guh...Um...Er...Sorry for overreacting..." Rodrak said quietly, still not looking at her.

"No no, I should be the one apologizing; I didn't see you here. Um...see, I have a problem with my nose, so I couldn't smell you either..."

'Smell? Is she a black dragon? She seems too innocent and naïve to be one...' Rodrak thought, but decided not to say anything.

"See...uh...I like to come here often...I just didn't know that you found my favorite solitude spot...um..."

'This is awkward...' Rodrak thought. "Um...This is my uh...favorite solitude spot too...Um...I'll...uh...I'll come back later..."

"Oh! No, no, it's fine...um..." Idoun feels strangely attracted to the silver dragon; she walked closer to him. Rodrak thought he was seeing things when he thought Idoun was moving towards him, but when he noticed that he wasn't he started moving back instinctively...until he hit the side of the pool. The girl moved ever closer towards him in a sort of a trance; she was doing so with her eyes half closed, making the silver dragon's face turn a very deep shade of red. It was awkwardly silent as Idoun continued to move towards him, until she finally touched him.

'...Her hands...so smooth...soft...' he thought, as the girl squeezed herself onto him. Then he snapped back to reality. "Um...hello?" he tried to move a hand to poke her, but since her whole body was almost completely touching his, this proved to be a problem. So he decided to poke her back. His hands however, decided to go lower and went for her behind. 'Hmm...soft...'

Idoun snapped back to reality. '...Why...why do I feel...?' she thought, but then cast aside any doubts and started kissing the boy in an insane display of lust. Of course, touching leads to kissing, and kissing leads to...more adult stuff. So let's leave these two at that for now.

Valor:

"A great, rotted tree. This would appear to be the place of which Uhai spoke," Eliwood commented.

"So if we move west from here, we'll reach the Dragon's Gate, right?" Lyn asked him. Eliwood just nodded and walked a bit slower.

"Lord Eliwood, are you well? You have a pallid look about you... Is something amiss?" Marcus asked his boss.

"You heard what Erik said when we were in Laus, Marcus... What do you think?" Eliwood asked the faithful paladin.

"That Lord Elbert was involved in a rebellion plot?"

"...Yes."

"It must be a mistake. Your father is loyal to Lycia. He'd never break his oath."

"You're right. I can't believe he'd be involved in this conspiracy. Yet... why do I feel so anxious? When I think of my father, I can't catch my breath."

"Lord Eliwood, do not mistake your feelings. That feeling that strikes you when you think of Lord Elbert? It springs not from a distrustful heart. It comes from concern for your father, who needs your help. He is involved in something larger than all of us. This is all happening so fast; it's easy to lose sight of that."

"I see... You... You're right. ...Thank you, Marcus. I feel a bit better."

"I'm glad to be of service. Bah. The air on this accursed isle... It's disquieting."

"...It feeds the despair already lurking in our hearts. If you hadn't been here for me, Marcus, I..."

"Eh? Something is happening ahead," Marcus interrupted.

"...It's Hector! Let's go," Eliwood replied.

"Stop yelling at me! It's because of that clattering armor you're wearing! I'm just saying we have to move cautiously. Nothing more!" Lyn said angrily to Hector.

"I know! And I'm saying that I'm doing my best!" Hector replied with an equal amount of rage.

"Quiet, both of you! Armor or no, if you two keep shouting like that, every enemy from here to Pherae itself will hear us!" Eliwood scolded them.

"...Sorry," the other 2 lord apologized.

"We must proceed with caution. I can't believe that Uhai was the only Black Fang in these woods," Eliwood warned the other 2.

Deeper into the island:

"Lord Aion, we've received word from the pegasus unit. Targets are approaching from the far side of that mountain to the east," an assassin told Aion the sage.

"Hmph... Uhai must have failed after all. I'm not surprised. We're talking about the shallow wisdom of a Sacaen nomad, after all. He possessed a certain rough talent, but no mind for planning. Our units are in place, are they not?" Aion asked the assassin.

"Yes," the assassin replied.

"Ha ha... Good. Very good. In confined spaces like this, my thunder magic devastates. The battle has already been won... I cannot lose. Combat is an equation. Those with intelligence have a natural advantage. Those imbeciles will not reach the Dragon's Gate. Never. I will bury them here in this forest!"

"...The target?...Lord Hector! I must warn him!" Cierra said after realizing what Aion had said, and broke into a run towards the place the assassin said the army would be coming from.

"Cierra! Wait!" Yuan called, but she didn't stop. Sighing, he and Ayla followed the mage.

"I can see ruins. Is that the Dragon's Gate?" Eliwood asked no one in particular. Ninian and Serene started to look weak again. "Serene? Ninian? Are you all right?"

"...Beware! ...The enemy comes!" Ninian said in her trance.

"Eliwood of Pherae! Prepare yourself!" an enemy shaman yelled as he and a group of other shaman ambushed the group. One of them launched a Nosferatu spell at Eliwood, who was caught unprepared. Luckily for him, Serene pushed him out of the way.

"Oof! We won't reach the Dragon's Gate if we stay on the defensive. Hit their commander, and attack the ruins!" Eliwood instructed. "Thank you, Serene."

"WATCH OUT!" Serene yelled, pushing Eliwood down again. After they got up, the group of shamans was already decimated.

"...Mmm... ...You must beware magical attacks... They will not attack from the front... If you wait, though... something may happen. For good or for ill, that I cannot say. Ah, I can see no more," Hannah said as she came out of her trance.

"We must be prepared then. Florina, Fiora, Erk, Serra, Priscilla, Hilda, and Mark, you'll have to take the front lines because of the magic users. Everyone else, just be on guard for ambushes," Hiro instructed. The group then started advancing slowly towards the ruins, around the mountain. "Hm? There's another ruin here."

"We'll go check it out," Raven offered. "Lucius, let's go."

Raven and Lucius entered the ruin; apparently it was a small one; it wasn't very important. However, there was someone inside; Raven found out when he heard footsteps. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

A middle aged man peeked out from behind a wall. He was wearing bluish grey bishop's robes, and was holding a scroll in one hand. "I'm Father Renault. I'm on a pilgrimage."

"So you're a bishop? Forgive our rudeness..." Lucius bowed his apology.

"What are you doing here? You don't appear to be with the black-robed group I saw earlier," Renault said.

"No, we stand opposed to them. ...This is a battleground. We can't let you get caught up in our fight. You should stay here, out of sight."

"I'm sure that I cannot convince you to lay down your arms. That being the case, I give you this," Renault shook his head sadly, and took out a staff from his robes. He gave the Recover staff to Lucius.

"This..."

"It may help you live longer. Even if you face the misery of defeat in combat, you might yet find another road if you but live."

"You have my gratitude."

"May you be watched over and protected in your venture."

"Hm. Blessings upon you, too," Lucius bowed, and then he and Raven started walking out.

"Lucius, wait...Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Raven asked Renault.

"I doubt it," Renault replied. Raven shrugged, and walked out again.

After he was sure that he wasn't in Raven's and Lucius's hearing range anymore, he sighed, and said, "I'm sorry, Raymond, but it's not time for you to know yet."

"Wha-What! The magic power of this place...The source is...distorted...I...I can't use any of my magic!" Aion exclaimed.

"Lord Aion! Disaster! A magic seal!" an assassin told him.

"A magic...That good-for-nothing has shown his face! Curses... I'd not foreseen this!"

The 'good-for-nothing' has indeed appeared, with 2 snipers and knights by his side. He stood somewhere nearby the ruin which Aion was guarding. '...'

On the other side of the mountain again:

"...someone's coming!" Hector exclaimed. "Prepare for battle!" As soon as he said it, Cierra, Yuan, and Ayla came into view. "...Cierra?"

"Lord Hector!" Cierra sprinted up to him. "Lord Hector! I...we...we couldn't save her! I saw him kill her! The Angel of Death!"

"...Cierra, what are you talking about?"

"Leila...the Angel of Death...he killed her! Jaffar killed her!" Cierra panted, and started crying. "I couldn't stop him..."

"...We know. We found her corpse earlier, and I've already buried her," Matthew told her, walking up to the front of the group.

"Who's this?" Eliwood asked Hector.

"That's Cierra. She's another one of Ostia's spies. We sent her to work on the same case Leila is. Cierra, who are the other two?" Hector explained, and asked Cierra.

"They're both Sacaeans who want revenge on their tribe which was attacked by the Black Fang. After I saw Leila die, I decided to flee. These two were being imprisoned, so I freed them. I...I should have stayed to gather more information, but I was scared. Scared of Jaffar. I'm sorry, milord, I have failed you," she looked down at the ground.

"...It's all right. That was smart of you to escape; otherwise we would have ended up with nothing at all," Hector told her. "Don't cry. Please. You know I can't stand that."

"...I'm sorry Lord Hector. May I ask...why are you here?"

"We're here to rescue Lord Elbert."

"I see. Then...may I join you? I want to make up for my blunder," Cierra said, after recovering from her crying fit.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"May we join you as well?" Yuan asked Hector.

"Sure, if you're not scared."

"Of course not," Yuan replied, and then he and Ayla walked to the back ranks of the army.

"Haven't seen you two in a while," Hiro greeted them as Yuan and Ayla walked up to him. "How have you been?"

"...It wasn't going too well. We located the Black Fang headquarters here...but we were captured, and...well, here we are now," Ayla told him.

"...I see. I met the leader of the attack on our village."

"Oh?"

"He's dead now."

"...I take it that's your doing?"

"...Yeah."

"...Thank you Hiro, for succeeding where we failed."

"Think nothing of it. Let's go," Hiro waved for them to follow him, and the 3 Sacaeans moved onwards.

"Thunder! Thunder, hear my cry!" Aion cried desperately for his Bolting spell to activate. However, nothing happened.

"Fire! Fire, DAMMIT!" Erk yelled over and over again, but nothing came out. "...Something's wrong here...This tome worked perfectly well in the last battle..."

"Whatever. Our enemies are vulnerable now!" Wil said, and aimed a shot at Aion.

Aion was still panicking, clutching his head in frustration. He looked up in time to see an arrow going for his head. "Oh shi..." and Aion was dead.

'So. Who's the useless one now?' Kishuna thought. 'It is time to go.' And with that, he and his men teleported away.

"Is everyone well?" Eliwood asked the army.

"Yes, somehow," Hector told him.

"Eliwood, I'm sorry. I said things I shouldn't have," Lyn apologized.

"No, I was shouting without thinking. I was wrong. Forgive me," Hector argued.

"No, it was my fault. If I hadn't..."

"It's no one's fault," Eliwood told them wearily; he was getting tired of their bickering. "There's an eerie power here."

"Eerie power?" Hector asked him, confused.

"I don't feel it any longer, but... It was meant to make us uneasy. Was it connected to that area where magic was nullified?"

"Now that you mention it, I was so irritable... I couldn't let even the smallest thing go by without complaining. ...What could that have been? The Black Fang couldn't use magic either. So it wasn't an ally of theirs..." Lyn mused.

"Who knows?"

"It's gone now, so no sense in worrying about it. We should concentrate on pushing forward," Hector said.

"Hmm. Let's make haste to the Dragon's Gate," Eliwood said.

"Hold on Eliwood. Ninian's disappeared!" Serene told the lord.

"What? When? How?" Eliwood asked her.

"...I don't know. She was here one second, and the next...she was gone..." she said. "...I'm sorry, I should have been keeping watch..."

"No, it's my fault. It was my duty to watch her," Kuro apologized. "Let's go look for her. She couldn't have gone far."

Ninian walked inside an old ruin. It apparently had been a library some time ago; the place was full of books. As she walked further inside, she grew sleepier and sleepier, until she had a little dream. The setting of the dream was the place she was inside at the moment, but much earlier than this; the place looked kind of new.

"...You hide and wait here. There's food and water in this pack. ...If you ration yourselves, it should last about ten days," a shaman said to two children. To Ninian, they looked vaguely familiar.

"...What about you, Daddy? Are you going away?" the girl asked, apparently she was his daughter.

"Daddy has to go to Aenir. ...I'm going to get Mommy."

"...Mommy? Where is she?"

"Some bad men took her away. They can't have gone very far, though. I have to go after them and save Mommy. You wait ten days... if Daddy's not back by  
then, take your brother and go to the other side. You're a clever girl. You know the way, right?"

"...Daddy..."

"...Daddy...Don't go..." the young boy finally spoke.

"...You're good children. Both of you. I'll come for you. I'll be back..." and with that, the shaman left.

Ninian snapped back to reality. She heard a man walk nearby. "Who's there?"

"Hello. My name is Teodor. Did I surprise you, miss?" a druid asked her as he came out from the shadows.

"Ninian!" Kuro called to her as he entered the library. "Ninian where are you?"

"Kuro! In here!" she replied. The lord sprinted up to her to see her and Teodor.

"Who are you?" Kuro asked the druid.

"I am Teodor, a humble researcher. You stand now under the residence of a dark sorcerer from way back in the Scouring," Teodor told him.

"...I see. Well, thank you for taking care of Ninian while she was lost. Good bye," Kuro said, and Ninian followed him out.

"Hold on. I want to explain to you about the dark sorcerer," Teodor said. Kuro turned around to say no thank you, but Teodor went on anyways. "Do you know that dark magic, when wanted to be used at its full power, requires a price? You must have heard of one of the heroes from the scouring, Brammimond. He...she...IT, gave up all emotions and memories for its power. However, if your disposition is weak, the dark will overwhelm you. You will be...lost... ...Ofttimes, you will forget why you seek the power to begin with."

"What's all this have to do with us?" Kuro asked him.

"Nothing to do with you, really. Just the fact that if you don't hand the girl to me, you will die."

"...You're with the Black Fang."

"Bingo. LUNA!" the druid yelled, as 6 orbs of dark fire appeared and started circling. Then he waved his arm towards Kuro, sending the orbs at the lord. Kuro unsheathed his Harusame. Kuro charged his sword with purple anima energy, and swung hard at the dark orb closest to him. He struck the orb hard, sending it back to its caster and through the other orbs, destroying them. It got Teodor straight in the gut, making the druid reel backwards in pain. "Grrr...LUNA!"

Kuro just smirked, and did the same trick again. "Goodbye. HEAVENSPLITTER!" he yelled, as he dashed up to the druid and sliced him in half. After landing, he sheathed his sword. "Ninian, are you all right?"

"...Yes...thank you, Kuro."

"...Let's go back to the group then."

"It's getting pretty dark. We should rest here for today," Hiro advised. "I don't think anyone else has any energy left to continue..."

"I agree. Let's set up camp. Marcus alert the group, we're resting now," Eliwood told the paladin.

Dragon World:

Rodrak and Idoun looked longingly at each other's faces. "...So. Will you be here tomorrow, at the same time?" Idoun asked him.

"...For you, I will."

They left for home after that. Idoun had mixed feelings on this matter. They know who each other are, but she hadn't told him about Alveen's plans. She just told him that she's the fire dragon's daughter, or at least a clone of her mother. On her way back, she cried. She realized she didn't want to hurt the silver dragon in any way. She loved him, that's for sure.

Valor:

"...Lord Hector?" Cierra walked up to the lord and greeted him. "...May I have a talk with you for a second?"

Hector finished his drink before replying. "Sure."

"Will you come with me?"

"Sure."

They walked a little bit far, but close enough to camp to call for help if need be. "Um...I wanted to properly apologize for my mistake..."

"Geez, I told you, just let it go, all right? Leila's death wasn't your fault."

"But...I...As a fellow worker...I should have been there for her."

"..."

"And...cowardice...was just a general reason...fear of Jaffar wasn't the only reason why I left."

"I'd understand. You have family and friends you still want to see."

"...Yes," she said, sounding a bit disappointed. 'So he still doesn't know that...'

"...What's wrong? You're looking a lot worse than you were earlier today," Hector commented.

"Um...oh! It's nothing," Cierra blushed. "I'll...I'll be all right. Thank you, Lord Hector. I...I've missed your company."

"...Oh? I missed you too," Hector said, hugging her. "But be more careful if you can, all right? I don't want to lose another spy. Uther will kill me."

"Yes, milord."

Elsewhere at camp:

"So you can dance too, Serene?" Eliwood asked the winged girl.

"Yes. I learned how to from Ninian. I'm an expert at dancing, though I don't mean to brag, but Ninian's much better than I am," she replied. "...I want to thank you. You were the one that kept me alive...you saved me from death on the pirate ship."

"Oh?"

"I... I had lost consciousness, and I fear I never properly thanked you, Lord Eliwood."

"Don't let it concern you. I wanted to help."

"But still...I owe you..."

"Hrm... Ah, I know! Next time you are free, show me your dancing! Not one of those little dances...something special."

"A special dance, my lord?" Serene blushed.

"Er...sorry, didn't mean to sound too forward!" Eliwood tried to cover his blunder. 'Smooth, you idiot,' he mentally slapped himself.

"No, not at all! I mean, I'd be glad to..."

Eliwood sighed inwardly. "Great, then it's a deal! I'm looking forward to it," he told her.

"Y-Yes. I am, too."

Elsewhere at camp:

"So how's Cally doing?" Odin asked Fiora, who was tending to her Pegasus.

"She's fine; her wings have almost healed completely. If not for your help earlier, I would have lost much more," she said miserably. "I...I failed my duties. I cannot fail again."

"Don't overexert yourself. You know, you should be thanking Wil, too; that's his medicine that's saving Cally's life."

"Yes. Um...Who is Wil?"

"He's the sniper that's always with your sister."

"Oh yes, him. I...find this rather unusual. Florina is usually afraid of men."

"She's not afraid of him, why? Well, those two are lovers. One night at camp, I thought I heard Wil propose to her; she told him to wait a few more years. Man, Wil was really ecstatic after that."

"...I see. Florina's changed since the last time I saw her. I was afraid to let her go out on her own; she was always so scared and unprepared; I didn't think I'd ever see her again alive after her knighting ceremony."

"Well, Wil's changed her for the better. So, how have you been? Florina kept on telling us about her two sisters. Where's the other one anways?"

"Farina..." Fiora began with a disgusted tone.

"...It doesn't sound like you want to talk about her much, so don't."

"...Thank you. Well, for me, as you've heard, the Black Fang have slain my comrades and I am here to avenge them. We lost many good people that day..."

"I wish you the best of luck," Odin said, and went to attend to his horse.

'...Unlike the other knights...he's different. Sain...I don't even want to begin. Lowen...is normal, like most people, I guess. Marcus is too uptight. Kent is a really good friend; he's a really caring and nice person, though he is also uptight. What am I saying, so am I,' Fiora thought to herself. 'But Odin's...different. He's nice and very relaxed, but I can sense deep sorrow within his being.'

At the campfire, Raven, Serra, Erk, Prsicilla, and Lucius were gathered there, sitting at chatting. And...of course, Erk was in a human tug of war again, being the entertainment of Raven and the monk.

"...Lucius, doesn't that bishop look familiar to you?" Raven asked the monk.

"Now that you mention it, Renault does look familiar. And I think I heard of his name before...just not sure where..." Lucius replied. Then he just remembered something. "Hold on!" He ran back to his tent, looked for something in his satchel, and ran out with a piece of paper in his hand. "Here! That's where Renault was!"

"Hmmm..." Raven mused over the picture. On the portrait, he was there, and so were Lucius, Serra, Erk, and Priscilla. Renault and a purple haired girl were also there. "...That's impossible. Where did you get this...?"

"I don't know. I always had this in my satchel since a few years ago. I forgot all about it until you brought up Renault. This is most unusual...There're Erk and Serra! We didn't meet them until now, right? How could this be? And look at the back!"

Raven complied, and looked at the back of the picture. He recognized his signature, Lucius's and his sister's, as well as Erk's and Serra's. The last signature was probably the other girl's, but he couldn't identify it. "Damn...What the hell is this?" he said, as he read the thing in the middle that said, 'Friends Forever.'

"Most unusual..." Lucius mused.

"Indeed."

"...I suggest we keep this away from those three..." Lucius said, pointing at Erk and the girls. "Who knows what weird fantasies Serra might think up; like she and Erk are long lost lovers with wiped memories or something."

Raven chuckled at his comment. "Let's hope not; that'll break my sister's heart...But...this is mysterious. Maybe our memories were altered."

And somewhere else in camp:

"Rebecca?" Dart called to the archer.

"Yeah?"

"Here," Dart handed her something from his big hands.

"Oh! What a pretty shell! Is it for me?" Rebecca said happily, looking at the pink shell which is now in her hand.

"Yeah. Thanks for the food earlier."

"Well, it's awfully nice of you, but didn't you say we were even back there?"

"Uhh... I didn't think you'd remember that part."

"HeeHee. Don't look so frumpy! Thank you! I will treasure it!" Rebecca said, smiling. Dart noticed, however, after the smile, she looked rather down again.

"What's the matter?"

"I know I shouldn't keep saying this, but... Dart... You just look so much like my brother..."

"Is that so? Well, who knows. Maybe I am."

"What?...But..."

"I don't have any memories of my life more 'n five years back...Fargus found me, bloody and limp on a pier, and I didn't know who I was... I'm thinkin' I must have leaked more 'n just blood out of my ears, you know? Now I don't remember nothin'!"

"My brother left home... ...Exactly... Five years...ago..."

"It's just strange luck, that. Unless...there's more to it."

"Well, he did have a scar on his right side, on his abdomen... from when he was gored by a stag in the forests of Pherae! Do you have a scar like that?" Rebecca asked Dart, and tried to forcefully look.

"EI! Slow down...Abdomen... That's over here, eh? And me right... That's starboard, innit?" Dart asked her. There really is a scar.

"Amazing... You really are..."

"...Hey, is this for real?"

"Er..."

"Look, it's nothin' personal-like. I just want to be sure. I mean, I'd be glad to think you were my sister, but... I'd hate to find out I was wrong later, you know?"

"Dart..."

"Aww, blow me down... Just call me Brother... Either way, I'll go back to me ship when this battle ends... so why don't we both just play along for a little while...Right?"

"Uh, um...sure. I guess...that would be... Yeah! Big brother Dart!"

"Not...Dan?"

"No, I'll just call you "Brother Dart." You might not be Dan anymore, but you're definitely my brother! I'm sure of it..."

"And...Dart, didn't you say earlier that you were looking for treasure?" Wil asked him.

"...Now that ye mention it, yeah, I am."

"...What are you using to pinpoint its location; do you have a map?"

"...You after me treasure?" Dart squinted his eyes at Wil.

"...No, I just want some proof. Let me guess whose treasure it is, and where you got the map."

"...There's no harm in that, I guess..."

"All right then. It's the treasure of the legendary pirate king, Han Gak. If you were really Dan, then the map would have my name scribbled on the bottom right, because I found the map. I gave it to you so you can look for it if you changed your mind about giving up on finding the treasure," Wil said.

"...Heh. Looks like you two really are right then. I couldn't have been your best friend if I wasn't Rebecca's sister; and no one would have given me this map for nothing. And..." Dart took the map out of his pocket. "Well, what do ya know...you were right. It has your name on the bottom right corner...though it's a li'l hard te see..."

"Don't ruin the moment, now," Rebecca nudged Dart.

Hiro slept under a tree with Yuan and Ayla. Before he slept, he thought about Mitsuna and what he should do if he does meet with her. 'Damn...' he thought, standing up to join Erk and the gang at the campfire. 'Can't sleep.'

'...I don't want to know...' Hiro thought to himself as he heard moans and shrieks coming from Kyo's tent. '...Lucky guy...'

"...our memories were altered," Hiro heard Raven say.

'What's this?' the myrmidon thought, entering the area.

"...What's that?" Hiro asked Lucius.

"Oh? Look at this picture, (but don't show it to Serra, Priscilla, or Erk) and tell me what you think," Lucius handed him the picture.

After scanning it, he handed it back to Lucius. "Curious..." he said. "I think we should do some research on this when we get back to the mainland."

Hiro left to take a walk and go to sleep. 'Damn it, Mitsuna, where are you...?'

Please R&R!


	27. HectorEliwood10: The Dragon's Gate

Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever

Okay, thanks for the reviews for those that did review. I live for the reviews!

Sorry for not updating in a long while, and my reason is...uh...well, I got nothing.

New stats:

Ian: Assassin; age 18; weapon: Killing Edge, Audhulma

Lina: Sniper; age 17; weapon: Killer Bow, Brave Bow

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**THE TACTICIANS' WISH

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**Eliwood's and Hector's tale Chapter 10: The Dragon's Gate

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**Eastern sea, path to Elibe:**

Ian sighed; he missed the sweet taste and large alcohol content of his favorite drink: Ilian rum. Having left for Magvel for a few months, he never had the chance to even drink one sip of even the crappiest beer, thanks to one light-green haired troubadour. He sighed again; the alcoholic assassin was bored as well. Then, an aquamarine haired lord walked up to him. "Something on your mind?" the lord asked.

"...Why are you coming back with us?" Ian asked the lord. "Lord Ephraim, why aren't you helping rebuild Renais?"

"...Seth can take care of it for now; besides, we have more important matters to worry about than one kingdom, right?"

"It's funny that you can say that; I mean, it's YOUR kingdom."

"It's funny that you're still sober."

"Touché...What do you think the guild master wants? Something concerning sacred weapons?"

"Hmm...and dragons, too. Where does he get all this information?"

"Don't ask me; no one's been able to figure that one out yet."

Ephraim, new king of Renais, decided to go help Ian and Lina back in Elibe after his army defeated the demon king Formortiis. His sister, Eirika, also decided to go with him. The others from his army that wanted to go as well included Lute, Innes, Tana, Joshua, L'Arachel, Natasha, Forde, Kyle, and Vanessa. Lute wanted to go study the species on a foreign land, as well as see some dragons. Everyone else pretty much wanted to go sightseeing. Ephraim had to remind them many times that this is a serious matter, but of course, no one paid any heed to him.

"...So what's our first destination?" Ephraim asked Ian.

"I think we should go to Ostia first to get some supplies; we were kind of rushed to catch this boat," Ian replied, leaning against the starboard railing on the ship. "As for me, I'm going to finally have some well-deserved nectar of the gods."

"Guys! We're under attack!" Lina called to Ian and Ephraim as she ran down to meet them. "Wyvern riders! They're coming from the port side of the ship! And they're armed to the teeth!"

"What? Who'd want to attack us?" Ephraim asked her, but the orange haired sniper just shrugged indicating that she had no answer to his question.

"Damn! I'll go get the others!" Ian cursed, and went below decks to the sleeping quarters to get the rest of the army above deck.

Soon, Natasha, Eirika, Lute, Innes, Joshua, and L'Arachel were above deck. The rest could not come up because they can't really fight without their mounts. "Great...We're short a few people, but we can take them! Lute, get your newly invented Aircalibur tome ready, and Innes, we're going to need Nidhogg out as well. Joshua, Eirika, get the Wyrmslayers out; they're in the storage room number...23, I think. Come on, people, get moving!" Lina instructed.

Soon, the wyvern riders were within sight of the small group of fighters. "...Elibian wyverns are different from ours, I think this one is called the Hiryuu Wyvern; the ones that wyvern lords use..." Lute told the group. "They don't give their riders a magical edge to their spears, but their claws and fangs can be poisonous. Try to fight it from far away."

"Red armored...Wait a second..." Ian said, putting up a pair of binoculars to his eyes. "Shit," he cursed. "It's the Eubans mercenary group. I can recognize their symbol anywhere...We'd best be careful; they're a dangerous group. Hmm...Innes! Lina! They're in our firing range now! Attack!"

Innes readied his sacred Nidhogg, and Lina readied her Brave Bow, loading four arrows in one shot. Innes took aim; his arrow started to glow blue, and its tip started to become ice cold. "Subzero Bolt!" Innes yelled. The sniper fired, and his arrow became enveloped by a gigantic aura of ice, piercing wyvern riders in its wake as it grew in size with each life it took, until it finally disappeared from the heat of air friction. His shot had cleared a long column of wyvern riders; about a tenth of the force, at least.

Lina's arrows started to glow after that as the sniper also took aim. The arrows started glowing yellow, and their tips crackled with electricity. "Stardust!" Lina yelled, then aimed her bow up high, and released her arrows. The arrows split into many more as they ascended, and homed down on the enemy. The entire front ranks of wyvern riders were electrocuted by the many bolts of electricity that rained down on them from above and from their left and right flanks. Only about five sixths of their force was left now, but the numbers were still large.

From there, Lina and Innes started sniping down any wyvern riders that came towards them with maddening speed; arrow after arrow they wasted, but their quivers were starting to become empty very quickly, even after using their energy attacks. "We're running out of arrows!" Innes complained.

"Let them come to us! We'll take it from here," Ian told him. Innes and Lina then fell back to let the close-range fighters take care of the rest.

The wyvern riders came in at once when Innes and Lina stopped firing; however, they were down to only a mere tenth of their forces. Joshua made quick work of them by jumping around like a monkey and doing mad stunts like running on walls to avoid attacks. Eirika stabbed her Seiglende here and there, while rolling around and parrying blows from oncoming riders. Ephraim was doing pretty good himself; his trusty Reginleif and Siegmund lances did a lot of stabbing that day. Lute, Natasha, and L'Arachel hid behind a room above deck to use their magic in the safe protectiveness of the walls. Ian ripped apart many unfortunate riders with his Audhulma and Killing Edge. Soon, the whole mercenary group was decimated.

* * *

**Tactician's Guild:**

Jack decided to visit the guild master to get some information on Mark, Ian, and Hiro, his friends that had left to go out to do their missions. He was about to knock on the door, but stopped when he heard a voice inside; Mua was talking with someone. About something serious too, it seems. Jack put his ear on the door to overhear the conversation.

"...So they have failed in taking care of the ones that defeated Formortiis?" a man croaked from inside the room.

"...What do you expect? They were just mercenaries; they couldn't have done anything against a group that DEFEATED THE DEMON KING!" Mua said angrily at the other man. "...What do we do now?"

"Well, we've analyzed them and how they work through this ingenious device I made. I think that their teamwork is good; they really cover each other's weaknesses well and can cooperate even under the toughest situations. However, they really do rely on the two tacticians you've sent for them. I suggest eliminating them first if you want this part of the plan to succeed. They cannot interfere with our plan. Once they meet with even one of the wielders of the sacred swords, our plan is ruined for sure."

"That might be the hard part. I only know the location of 4 of them. One of them, Muramasa, is in Sacae in the hands of a Chijan boy, the Diabolique is in the hands of a Sacaean girl; you know where she is. The Ragnarok is with her brother, who is presumably in Ostia, serving there as a mercenary. And finally, the Einharjar is with a Chijan girl, and you know where she is as well. We should act quickly; if any one of them finds out..."

"They'll what? They're only kids. They won't know how to use the swords; none of them are mature enough to use them to their full power."

"...We can't take that risk; it's best to use a plan without any holes in it."

"True. I shall send for another group to take care of them. And this one will not fail."

Then the conversation stopped as Jack heard a wooshing sound. Jack decided it was time to knock. He knocked on the door. He could hear Mua jump inside the room. "Come in," Mua called to the mercenary.

"Sir. I just want to know how my friends Mark, Hiro, and Ian are doing," Jack told Mua.

"Oh! Um...well...uh...I don't know if this is a good time. They're all probably quite busy..."

"Something wrong sir? You seem quite flustered."

"Oh...Um...No...no, nothing at all..."

"All right then..." and with that, Jack walked out of the room. Mua was behaving strangely, that's for sure. 'And who was that man Mua was talking to?' Jack thought. He was so deep in thought, when Irene and Kellia walked by, he didn't notice them. 'What were they talking about?...They were talking about Ian and Hilda...They went to Magvel to take care of this demon king business...but...why would Mua send people to attack them? This makes no sense! And...Hiro and Mitsuna; they're Chijan. And people from that continent are very few here...'

"...Did you see that?" Irene asked her friend, as the mercenary walked right past them. "Jack didn't try to flirt with us!...HE'S ON DRUGS!"

"Now now, let's not jump to conclusions...He's a scoundrel, but I don't think he'd stoop that low..." Kellia tried to argue. However, she's not really too good at doing that, being the quietest of her group of friends. "He's probably just...depressed, yeah, that's it..."

"...And YOU, of all people, YOU, the person who always rejects him by, um, let's see, kneeing his groin, slapping his face, punching his gut, pinching his arm, scratching him..., yeah, YOU are defending HIM!" Irene said loudly in disbelief, getting some weird looks from other people in the hall. "...Are you also on drugs?"

"...(sighs)...And you wonder why people think you're weird..." Kellia said quietly. Irene is the type of person who would easily jump to conclusions after looking at just a few bits of information. That's a double-edged sword for her; this could save many lives in an army when the strategist needs to act really quickly. However, when making the wrong decisions, you could lose many lives. Irene, however, is usually right. But not this time, because Kellia is the least likely person to even touch a cigarette. Kellia rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I'm serious here!"

"...Whatever. Let's just go..."

"NO! We are not moving until I get the truth out of you!" Irene said loudly again, this time snapping Jack out of his trance.

The mercenary looked back to see Irene rambling loudly about drugs and crack. He sighed; whenever she gets like this, she's impossible to stop. "...Irene," he greeted her as he walked towards the two. "...So who's a crackhead now?"

"Don't play dumb with me!"

"...I'm not on drugs, Irene."

"Reallllly?" Irene asked him, squinting her eyes, trying to get the truth out of his face.

"(sighs)...Yes, Irene, I'm not on drugs..."

"...You're safe...for now..." Irene said, walking away, pulling Kellia along with her. Then suddenly she turned so quickly, she made Jack jump and Kellia fall face first. "But you better watch you back."

"...Women..." Jack rolled his eyes, and went back to his room.

* * *

**Dragon world:**

Rodrak walked happily into the hot spring area he found to wait for Idoun; she should be arriving shortly. However, he didn't know that she wouldn't be there that day. Instead, her father went in her place. Alveen hid behind the trees from where Idoun usually came, and smirked. "ACTIVATE STOP RUNE!" he yelled. Rodrak's enhanced hearing caught the sound, and instinctively, Rodrak turned to the source of the sound. However, after that, he could feel nothing, see nothing, hear nothing, taste nothing and smell nothing. Alveen walked over to the immobile form of Rodrak, and laughed. "That was easy."

Some hours had passed. Xiphias was worried; Rodrak has not returned. His mind replayed the conversation he had with his son the day before...

"...Well, so you've found a mate already. Who is she?" Xiphias asked the young silver dragon.

"Her name's Idoun. She's the same age as I am; she says that she's Alveen's daughter."

"WHAT?"

"..."

"...Well...This can lead to two things; one good and the other, bad. The bad thing is that Alveen will bring out a full force attack in his fury on us, or do something bad to you. The good thing is that he will allow you mating his daughter, and stop attacking us, which I really doubt will happen. Regardless, I want you to go where you met her the day before, and ask her about what her father thinks," Xiphias instructed. "I only want the best for our kind."

"I know, father. I'll ask her tomorrow."

Xiphias snapped back to reality as his advisor barged into his hut. "Lord Xiphias, it is almost dawn again, and your younger son still has not returned. Shouldn't we be out looking for him?" the advisor asked the big silver dragon.

"...I'm afraid, if he has gone for this long, it may be too late. Tighten the security in our settlement; I'm sure Alveen is going to use my son for something..." Xiphias instructed his advisor, who then left to carry out the elder's orders. "It looks like I've underestimated you, Alveen..." Xiphias muttered under his breath.

* * *

**Dread Isle, Dragon's Gate:**

"...They're here..." Limstella said absent-mindedly. She then froze. HE was there too. She could feel him. His sword. The sword that had defeated her. "No...Why...I don't want to fight you..." Limstella muttered quietly, and felt tears sliding down her cheeks. "...What is this?" she thought out loud, not understanding why she was thinking like that. '...My clothes...they reek of death...I should probably change,' she thought, and went to her wardrobe. She was one of Nergal's special morphs; one of the 3 that are closest to being human-like. She, for some reason, like, Sonia, fancied having many different articles of clothing. Limstella threw her old robes away, and checked her wardrobe. She took out a loose white long-sleeved shirt, a black vest lined with gold on its sides with a red collar, a tail cloak which went down from her waist, also black with a red underside, a black leather belt, tight-fitting white pants, and black boots.

Outside, the army was gathering at the entrance to the Dragon's Gate. They were walking up to it, when suddenly, Kuro, Serene, and Ninian started twitching madly and clutched their heads while curling up into fetal positions. "Serene! What's wrong? Are you all right?" Eliwood asked the blue haired girl, but all he got from her was more shaking.

"...This place... so frightening. Something... powerful..." Ninian said very quietly in an almost inaudible voice. Then she started shaking again; it also got worse after a few seconds. The same thing happened with Kuro and Serene.

"They're getting worse! We have to get them away from here!" Hector told the rest of the group, and carried Kuro and Ninian on his shoulders. Eliwood agreed and picked up Serene. However, as they were walking away from the place, a purple cloaked man teleported in front of them to block their path.

"You'll not be going anywhere. Those little birds have escaped this island cage twice. Now that they're back, they'll not be allowed to fly away again," the cloaked man said to the group.

"Who are you?" Hector asked him angrily.

"We meet at last. I am Ephidel. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"You're Ephidel? I've been looking forward to this," Hector growled, dropping Kuro and Ninian on the ground behind him. He clenched his knuckles in rage and hatred for the man.

"...Gallantly spoken. Of course, I know who you are. Marquess Ostia's younger brother, Lord Hector. And here we have Caelin's beloved princess, Lady Lyndis," Ephidel replied. "By the way, the gift I left for you in the forest... Was it to your liking? The corpse of that filthy red-haired traitor?" Ephidel asked them non-chalantly.

"Monster! Stay right there! I'm going to crush the life from you with my bare hands!" Hector yelled angrily at the cloaked man.

"Now I see! She was an Ostian spy, wasn't she? Don't worry, she did not suffer. It only took one blow..." Ephidel assured the heavily armored lord.

"Grrr...DIE!" Hector yelled, throwing a punch at Ephidel. However, the cloaked man teleported before it could connect. "Grr...COWARD!"

"Where did he go?" Eliwood looked around. Then Ephidel reappeared behind Hector.

"I'll be taking these, thank you," Ephidel said calmly, putting his hands on Serene and Ninian, while putting his right foot on Kuro. "They will be needed for my master's ceremony," Ephidel told them, and then teleported away with the 3 people he was touching.

* * *

**Path to the Dragon's Gate:**

"Lord Ephidel! Are they with you?" Darin asked the cloaked man as Ephidel teleported in front of him.

'Is he blind, or just stupid?' Ephidel thought, but decided that he shouldn't say that out loud. "As you can see..." Ephidel waved his hand towards the limp bodies of Kuro, Ninian, and Serene that lay on the ground to his left.

"Oho! The ritual can take place at last!"

"Yes. However, we have an infestation of mice to deal with... They should be scurrying in here momentarily. They must be dealt with before the ritual takes place. May I entrust this task to you?"

"Of course. Who do you think I am! I am Darin, Marquess Laus! Ruler of this world!"

"Very well. I leave it to you."

"Ruler of the world... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Darin laughed like a maniac.

'Humans... They are so very fragile,' Ephidel thought as he teleported away, shaking his head with a sadistic smile on his face.

* * *

**Dragon's Gate:**

"Ah... you've done well. Precious Ephidel. Shall we prepare for the ritual?" Ephidel asked his morph, who just teleported there with the three dragons.

"Nergal!" Elbert called angrily at the dark druid.

"Does it gall you, Marquess Pherae? It's destiny. There could be no other outcome. Despite all of your mischief, the children were fated to return to me," Nergal said to the marquess, smiling wickedly.

"My son... Where is Eliwood?"

"He's still alive. Of course, it's only a matter of time before the Black Fang finishes him."

"...Nergal! Prepare to die!" Elbert yelled, and took out his sword out of its scabbard. He then ran at Nergal in rage. However, Jaffar appeared out of nowhere and stabbed Elbert. "Gah!"

"...That was a surprise. When did he undo his bonds? Heh heh... Why do you not heed my warnings, Lord Elbert? You cannot alter destiny. Stop this foolishness," Nergal said maliciously to the marquess of Pherae. "Jaffar, take Marquess Pherae and the children to the far chamber. I will begin preparations for the ritual."

Jaffar nodded silently, and started carrying the bodies of the 4 said figures.

* * *

**Path to the Dragon's Gate again:**

"Many foes block our path; from the looks of it, many enemy cavaliers and knights are out there, as well as mages and snipers. This will be difficult," Mark commented. "We should separate our group into 4. One will be the one that stays here to protect Merlinus and Hannah. Eiji and Marcus, that's your job. We'll need one to go straight north, one to go northwest, and one to go northeast. This won't be an easy fight...Hiro, you lead one group, I'll lead another one, and Hilda, you lead the last. I'll take the northeast path, and Hilda will take the northwest. Prepare your Armorslayers and Horseslayers; we'll need those today. Be careful out there."

Matthew ran through the enemy forces as if they were air; no one ever saw the thief this enraged. He snuck through the shadows, and cut through the enemy ranks mercilessly. As he did so, tears were sliding down his eyes in his rage. He cleared the way for most of the crew; they had to walk over many dead bodies before they finally caught up with the thief. Matthew finally took a break to catch up on breathing. He sheathed his sword, and looked at his hands. They were full of blisters; some of them already popped. He finally noticed how much his hands hurt. But he would not give up, not until Leila was avenged. Guy was worried. Very worried. This was his best friend that had gone insane with rage; Matt might make a mistake that will end his life. Guy sprinted past the group to catch up to the thief, and Rebecca followed him out of concern.

A purple haired man, wearing a headband of a darker shade of the same color with a scar on his face walked up the stairs leading up to the battlefield. He yawned; it was rather boring, but then he heard the commotion outside, and saw a soldier walking towards him.

"Hey, you! What are you doing there!" the soldier asked the lanky man.

"What am I doing? Is that a proper greeting? If you don't know me, you must be a new recruit, yes?" the older man replied, looking hurt.

"Uh... I was assigned to the Dragon's Gate about one month ago..." the soldier looked embarrassed.

"I thought as much. I am Legault. You've heard my name, yes?"

"Legault...Ah! You... You're the Hurricane? Second in ability to none but the Four Fangs?" the soldier asked him, and moved back in some fear.

"Yes, yes. That's me," Legault said nonchalantly, looking at his nails.

"I... I beg your pardon," the scared soldier replied, and ran away in fear.

"No worries. ...Now then, time to fill my purse with treasure and leave the Black Fang behind. No sense staying on a sinking ship. No sense at all..." Legault said to himself, as he began running to go yoinking.

"(pant...pant) Matthew was breathing heavily as he ran, being followed by Guy and Rebecca. He was in a berserker rage; not seeing where he was going at all and jumping like a monkey on enemy soldiers, stabbing them here and there. He took any sword better than his that the enemies he felled had in their hands, and continued to fight on. He thought he saw Darin, but he didn't care. He just moved onwards...

Legault thought he heard screams of pain and fear. Curious, he walked in the shadows to see what it was. To his horror, he saw a brunette swordsman quickly slaying everything in his path with a Killing Edge in a mad berserker rage. 'Yikes,' Legault thought, 'Better not stay here too long...'

Matthew saw movement in the shadows. 'Another thief?' he thought. 'Whatever.' And with that, Matthew lunged for Legault's throat.

'Shit! He saw me?' Legault thought. 'Well, might as well knock him into his senses. Hm? What's this?' he thought, as he saw Matt being restrained by Rebecca and Guy. However, Matt proved too strong and pushed them both off as he began lunging towards Legault again. 'Well, there's no way I can beat him like that, so...'

Legault ran farther into the shadows. When he was far enough, he ran up the wall and hid on the ceiling, waiting for Matt to come so he could ambush the younger swordsman. Matt, however, saw Legault up on the ceiling, and chucked an iron sword at him. Legault dropped to avoid a would-be deathblow, but he twisted his ankle upon landing. "Wait!" Legault held up his hand to surrender.

"Grr...She died...You've killed her...I'll kill all of you..." Matthew muttered very quietly between deep breaths. "I will leave none alive!"

"...Was it the Ostian spy?"

"...Did you do it?"

"...No. But I know the man who did."

"TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

"...I can't do that. I don't like selling my friends out. But you are with the Pheraean noble coming here, yes? I'd like to join you."

"JOIN US? JOIN US? You...CRAVEN CUR!" Matthew yelled angrily as he leapt up to strike down the Hurricane. However, Guy caught him and pinned him to the ground with the help of Rebecca.

"Don't talk to him...GAH!...Talk to...the lords! Gah! Down, Matthew!" Guy yelled, struggling to keep the crazy thief down.

"There's Darin!" Eliwood exclaimed. He could see the mad general sitting on a throne. However, Legault jumped in his path.

"Excuse me, but are you Eliwood?" Legault asked him.

"Uh...yeah, what's wrong?"

"I would like to lend my services to you. I am a thief, like your psychotic homicidal spy back there. Also, I am doing this to quit the Black Fang, and I...kind of need protection because they'll be hunting me down..." Legault twiddled his thumbs.

"I see. Well, any inside information could be useful. Welcome to the group."

"I'm Legault, or as the Black Fang calls me, the Hurricane."

Hector reached Darin first, while Eliwood was talking with Legault. "Oh... You're Marquess Ostia's younger brother..." Darin said, mockingly.

"I couldn't care less if you've a grudge against Ostia. I'll put up with your treachery no longer!" Hector yelled angrily, and readied his Wolf Beil.

"Heh Heh heh... Ostia is no longer my main concern... Nor is the whole of Lycia... The only goal worthy of my attention is the entire world!" Darin boomed. Then he laughed maniacally. He then took out a Steel Lance, and entered a fighting stance. "Hah...hah ha ha! You dare challenge me? I, who will rule the world?"

"You're going down!"

Hector took a Hand Axe off his belt, and chucked it at Darin. Darin laughed at this feeble attempt of an attack, and swept it aside with his lance. However, he underestimated Hector. Very badly. Hector was a lot closer than he was before. Hector threw another hand axe, and Darin swept it away again, laughing. However, he stopped laughing when he saw Hector right in front of him, and clunked away to avoid getting hit by Hector's Wolf Beil.

Hector's axe was stuck in the ground. Darin grinned, and then clunked towards Hector, planning to impale the young Ostian. However, this was part of Hector's plan. The young lord swung his axe upwards with great force, cutting through Darin's armor. Darin yelped in pain, but recovered quickly enough to parry a blow with his lance. It was Hector's turn to be stunned; his axe now lay on the ground far from his left side after getting it swatted away. Darin grinned, and thrust his lance at Hector. Hector, however, made a lucky dodge by rolling towards his axe, but not close enough. He saw a lance coming towards his head, when...

BAM!

Darin's lance was blown out of his hand by a fireball; Cierra and Eliwood had arrived to help.

"Hector!" Eliwood called to his friend, who retreated after picking up his axe to meet with Eliwood and Cierra. "Are you all right?"

"Never better. Damn that Darin..." Hector cursed.

"You must be careful, Hector. You could have at least waited for us..."

"Whatever. Let's take him down."

A barrage of fireballs blocked Darin's view of his opponents; he couldn't see the lords running up towards him. He felt a sharp stab towards his gut; luckily, Hector didn't slice through that part yet. However, it sent him staggering backwards. As he recovered, he dodged a vertical axe strike from Hector, and punched the young lord in the face. He turned around, only to get his armor cut down by Eliwood's sharp sword. Eliwood jabbed his rapier into Darin's lance arm, making the general cry out in pain. As he struggled to get it out, Darin punched Eliwood in the gut, and swatted him away.

Darin took the rapier out of his arm gingerly. 'Damn...They...No...I can't be defeated! I will rule the world!' he thought, and a smile broadened on his face.

He ran to the throne, and took something from the back. It was a lance. It gleamed brightly in the torchlight that lit the hallways. Its tip was strangely decorated. Where the sharp blade met the metal staff, it had rainbow strings tied to it. Its staff was colored like a rainbow as well. The tip looked like a dragon head breathing fire; the dragon head part was green, and the fire, of course, red. "The Gungnir! With this, I cannot lose!" he yelled triumphantly, and held it in his remaining usable arm. "Come, and try to defeat me now!"

He slammed the lance into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave that made Hector, Cierra, and Eliwood stumble and fall in their run towards him. Darin grinned. He took this time to hook his new lance onto the chain that previously held his steel lance. Then he swung it around like a mace, and tossed it at Eliwood.

Eliwood barely rolled away from it. The lance was stuck in the ground now, and Darin was having trouble pulling it up with only one arm. Eliwood struck the staff of the lance with his sword, hoping to break it, but failed horribly. He got a nasty shake as the rapier merely bounced off the staff, and shattered. Darin pulled the lance successfully, and prepared to attack again. This time his target is Cierra, who is helping Hector get up. Darin smirked; the girl would be too busy helping her lord up to notice. "DIE!" he yelled.

Cierra looked in horror as the lance flew towards her. However, Hector simply pushed her back down, and swung his axe upwards to push the lance away. Hector got his desired result, or somewhat, at least. The Gungnir went flying away to his side, but since it was so hard, Hector's axe fell back into the ground and its blade was chipped.

Cierra took this time to start chanting madly. Darin was too busy pulling his lance in to notice the slight hum which is the mage's voice. Soon, Cierra yelled, "Enchant Weapon!"

Hector's axe burned with fire as Darin turned his head towards the source of the sound. He panicked when he saw Hector's flaming Wolf Beil. Hector ran quickly towards the general, who was trying to quickly pull his lance back, which is hard with only one usable hand.

Darin was about to finally reach his lance; Hector was still about 4 meters away. However, he was struck by a powerful explosion of light on his pulling arm, distracting him and completely disabling the general; Eliwood had gotten hold of a Light Brand that Legault gave him earlier. Darin looked back towards Hector in horror to see that Hector had already gained great spinning speed in a whirlwind attack. Darin felt tremendous amounts of pain as his torso was severed from his body. The heat of the flaming Wolf Beil easily melted his armor and sliced off the top of his body.

"Phew..." Hector panted.

"Great job, Hector. But we can't rest now. My father..." Eliwood stopped short.

"I know. Come on!"

Hector, Cierra, and Eliwood quickly went onwards; Lucifer saw this and followed them.

* * *

Lucifer ran faster and used his mad skillz to disappear. He ran ahead of the lords and Cierra to check on a few things. As he predicted, he found her there. "Limstella," he greeted her, making the morph leap backwards in fright at the sound of his voice. "I suggest you get out of here if you want to live. Eliwood's coming for his father."

"Oh...it's just you..." Limstella said as she let out a sigh of relief. "I'm leaving soon anyways for it is an order from my lord..."

"Nergal? You still work for him?"

"I don't work for him. I...I am..."

"You're what?"

"I..." however, Limstella was interrupted by the loud clanking of Hector's armor. "I must go," she said.

"But what are you?" Lucifer asked her again.

"I am..." she slowly said as she started disappearing, "...his slave..." Then she just disappeared from sight.

"...Sla...slave...?" Lucifer slowly repeated her words. "What the hell?"

* * *

"Father! Dad!" Eliwood called loudly for Elbert, looking around madly as well. Hector and Cierra looked around as well. Eliwood heard a faint cry coming from in front of him, and went to the source. He found his father a beaten and fatigue-ridden man.

"...Eli...wood?" Elbert slowly said as he struggled to get his head up to look up at his son.

"I'm here dad, don't worry, we'll get you out," Eliwood said soothingly. "Let's go."

However, he heard a loud yelp as soon as he got up. He turned around to see Hector and Cierra's path being blocked by a young assassin. "Get out of our way!" Hector yelled at him and threw a Hand Axe at him. The assassin simply tilted his head down to dodge it like it was nothing. "Im...Impossible..." Hector said.

"Don't!" Elbert gasped, and choked. "Don't...fight...that man...he's too strong..."

"But...father...we've got to get you out of here," Eliwood protested. However, he heard a wooshing sound. He looked towards its source to find Ephidel.

"I'd listen to your father's last words, were I you," Ephidel advised. "This is going to be the last few minutes you'll spend with him, until the eternity that is death, that is."

"What do you mean?"

"My master Nergal would like to give you a reward for your hard fought struggle to get here. Now...LET THE CURTAINS RISE!"

"NO!" Elbert yelled in a begging tone. "Please! Stop this! You must not awaken the dragons!"

"Too late," Ephidel said, and snapped his fingers. At that instant, Elbert started choking and immediately went limp.

"F...Father!" Eliwood cried, but there was no response.

Nergal appeared from out of nowhere and said, "Now, dragon children, OPEN THE GATES!"

Kuro, Serene, and Ninian appeared in front of a giant gate. Kuro started chanting something inaudible, and the girls soon followed. The gate slowly opened to reveal a white and orange vortex behind it. Slowly, something large walked out of it. Very slowly. The three kept on chanting and the large figure slowly crawled out.

"Yes...use all your power! You will call the dragons out!" Nergal said happily.

"I will not allow this!" a boy's voice loudly said from the shadows. A flute went flying towards Kuro's head and smashed straight on, knocking him out, and breaking the girls out of their trances.

"NO! Not you!" Nergal exclaimed. Nils ran out of the shadows, picked up his flute, and pulled his sister towards Eliwood's group. However, as he did this, the portal started working in reverse. The giant red dragon was being pulled back in, and it was screaming in pain. It's like its own creation was being reversed; his wings started to disassemble into tiny little particles. He too, shrunk, and was clawing at the floor futilely to keep from being sucked in. The portal grew wider into a storm with flesh-tearing gales and electricity.

"Phew..." Eliwood breathed heavily; he ran into the storm while it was still light and managed to carry Serene out. However, Kuro was still inside and was slowly getting dragged inside.

The storm was getting stronger and bigger. Nergal himself was getting sucked in. "No! Lord Nergal, you must leave this place!" Ephidel pleaded to his master, who simply huffed and teleported away. "Lord...LORD NERGAAA...AIEAAAA!" Ephidel shrieked in pain as he was engulfed in the storm as well.

"Kuro!" Hiro called to his friend, but got no reply. "I've got to save him!" He dashed towards the storm.

"You're out of your mind!" Lucifer exclaimed as he grabbed Hiro's hand to keep the young myrmidon from killing himself. "Didn't you see how it annihilated Ephidel in a second?"

"Let go of me! FIRE!" Hiro used his other hand to cast a fire spell that sent Lucifer flying backwards. "SCORCHING HELL!" Hiro sent a powerful heat wave into the storm, creating a small pathway into its center, the presumed location of the dragon boy, who is hopefully still alive. Hiro ran inside the pathway towards the eye of the storm.

"Kuh!" Lucifer grunted. "You dumbass..."

The group ran away from the area to avoid getting killed by the storm.

* * *

Soon after, the storm dissipated, but there remained no traces of Kuro, Hiro, nor Ephidel, according to Legault's and Matthew's reports.

"Heh...do...uh...heavy losses occur often in your group?" Legault asked Mark.

"...No," Hilda answered for him. "Actually, no one from our group of misfits has actually died while under the command of Mark, myself, and that young myrmidon who ran into the storm to save his friend. He, like the two of us, was a graduate of the tactician academy. He..." A tear slowly slid down her cheek. A few dropped to the floor under Mark's hooded head. Hilda couldn't continue talking; she tried to hold back her tears.

"He's...a good friend. Let's leave it at that," Mark said. He then walked away from Hilda and Legault into his room to cry his sorrows away. 'It's...too soon. He couldn't be gone...could he?' the shaman thought. 'But...how could anyone survive that storm? Even Ephidel...'

"DAMMIT!" Hector cursed. He slammed his axe into the ground in a fit of rage. "Damn that Nergal...our losses weren't many, but they were great in significance..."

Lyn just finished making crude crosses from tree branches to make graves for Kuro and Hiro nearby Leila's grave; Matthew, Mark, and Hilda helped as well.

"Heh..."Mark grunted, "I...I supposed you figured you'd have a grander ending, friend..."

"Father...I hope mother won't kill me after seeing you like this..." Eliwood softly wiped away a tear from his usually cheerful face. He laid down his father's corpse in a coffin and heaved it into the group's supply caravan.

**The Dragon Lands:**

"Xiphias!" a silver dragon burst inside the room of the elder silver dragon.

"What is it?"

"Your son has returned!"

"WHAT?"

"And he has two others with him; a young human boy and...a...a girl RED DRAGON!"

"A red dragon...and...did you say human?"

**R&R! I'LL BE BACK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. MEANING I HAVE NO FRIKKIN' IDEA.**


End file.
